Green light for Ami Cargo in UK 29 | 10 | 2021
CITROEN HAS CONFIRMED it will bring its Ami Cargo last-mile-delivery van variant to Britain. The Cargo will join the Ami electric quadricycle which is already bound for these shores. (Related: Full DS 4 hatchback range on-sale in UK)
To date, more than 14,000 UK customers have registered an interest for the passenger version of the Ami; and 10% of them have already placed a £250 refundable deposit to reserve one.
Although prices for the Ami Cargo have yet to be confirmed for the UK, we know that in France prices for the Cargo start at €6,490 (around £5,600), including a €900 subsidy from the French government.
At the moment, the UK Government doesn’t have any subsidies for electric vehicles of this size, so it’s likely prices will start in excess of £6000 by the time the car arrives in British showrooms. (Related: Updates for Citroen C4 and e-C4)
Looking pretty much identical, at least from the outside, to the passenger-carrying Ami, the Cargo ditches the passenger seat and replaces it with a storage pod. This in turn is separated from the driver by a solid partition.
Citroen says the cargo compartment has a capacity of 260 litres — which is similar in size to the boot of a Toyota Yaris — and can carry up to 140kg of load. The French carmaker says the package means the Cargo is ideally suited to life as a last-mile urban delivery vehicle. (Related: Hyundai Ioniq 5 available to order now)
Storage increases to 400 litres when it’s teamed with a few new storage bins. That, in turn, means the Cargo has more space than found in the boot of a fourth-generation Skoda Fabia.
The clever cargo area includes a few tie-down points and a height-adjustable floor, meaning the driver can transport items up to 1.2 metres in length. There’s also a modular hinged shelf which is mounted on top of the box; not only can it hold up to 40kg, but it can double as a mobile desk.
At the rear of the cabin, Citroen has added an extra secure storage bin, meaning the driver can stow valuables such as smartphones, sunglasses and wallets out of sight.
Power is exactly the same as the standard Ami. That means a 5.5kWh battery pack which feeds an 8bhp electric motor. Top speed? Yup, still just 28mph, and Citroen says it’ll cover 46 miles on a single charge.
As for charging, it can only be done via a three-pin domestic plug. The good news is that because of the titchy battery, it only takes around three hours for it to reach 100% capacity.
Related: Pricing and spec for Toyota Yaris Cross
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Jim McGill