Citroën's Ami Is the Colorful Missing Link Between Bike and Car

People keep saying the future of transportation is bicycles. This may come as a disappointment to those still waiting for jetpacks and Jetsons-style hoverboards. But the auto industry surely feels the most threatened: In the U.S., “private” cars were responsible for 70 percent of all trips, per 2018 data.

What better way for the car to steal some ground back than to meet the bike halfway?

This work from BETC and Citroën, “Ami ❤️ Paris,” introduces the 100 percent electric Citroën Ami.

There are a few unique qualities to this vehicle. To start, it’s named after a station wagon-esque model that was born in the 1960s. The difference between that family car and this one is striking: The original Ami could comfortably contain five people and then some.

Today’s Ami is more for the nomadic urbanite: It holds two people max, and it’s also not technically classified as a car. It’s a quadricycle that doesn’t exceed 27 mph.

This might sound disappointing, but it has a lot going for it. To start, traffic in Paris is horrendous. It’s frustratingly slow to begin with, so you’re not likely to pass that speed limit anyway—certainly not in the daytime. Most cars spend their time idling and wasting gas, to the frustration of drivers and also pedestrians: Covid confinement was a revelation in terms of how clean the city’s air could be, and the return of cars in May has not earned them any goodwill.

A vehicle that is ultimately less of a car will be welcome on the streets of a changing Paris. The Ami is quiet, lithe and not designed to get you from A to B at breakneck speed. That will make it a welcome companion on the city’s redesigned streets: During confinement, mayor Anne Hidalgo added over 30 miles of new bike lanes. Bolstered by a governmental package that helps subsidize people who maintain bikes or buy new ones, bike use in France overall rose 44 percent since confinement ended.

The Ami’s speed cap also means it can be driven without a license, making it accessible to people from age 14 upward. This increases mobility possibilities for more people instead of further constraining existing drivers. 

All this is in keeping with Citroën’s 2020 commitment to “unlock urban mobility for everyone.” The brand also partnered with Free2Move to create a car-sharing offering. Downloading the app will tell you where an Ami is available for use, giving Parisians a chance to both test the car in real situations, and get accustomed to the look of it zipping around the city. 
 
To better align with the city’s spirit, BETC added an extra friendly touch (apt, given the definition of “ami”): Paris is not a monolithic culture, at least not from the inside. Parisians identify themselves by their neighborhoods, each with their own style and identity. You may know a few: A Marais hipster is markedly different from the grungy urban cool of a Belleville inhabitant. And neither have much in common with the new-school posh of revivified Batignolles. 

Thus, each Ami in the Free2Move fleet has been dressed in the colors of 20 iconic districts, using stories and anecdotes from actual Parisians.

The launch of Citroën’s Ami, which happened on Aug. 24 during the Cercle Le Brun event, is reinforced by a geolocalized social campaign composed of mini-films, highlighting the Parisians who helped develop its designs. The car-sharing service will unroll in weeks to come. 

See those films here:

CREDITS

BRAND: Citroën
PRODUCT: Citroën Ami – 100% ëlectric
CAMPAIGN: Ami ❤️ Paris
BRAND MANAGEMENT: Arnaud Belloni, Bruno Gisquet, Sylvain Peraldi, Amélie De Chabannes
AGENCY: TRACTION/BETC
AGENCY MANAGEMENT: Bertille Toledano, Hugues Reboul, Julien Grimaldi, Anyce Nedir, Chloé Pirajean, Aude Devaux, Thomas Jaffeux
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Stéphane Xiberras
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Nicolas Lautier
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: David Derouet
COPYWRITER: Stephan Schwarz
ART DIRECTORS: Jacques Decazes, Moritz Maus, Les Graphiquants
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTORS: Melissa Hofman, Alice Resseguier, Arthur Pelissier, Dylan Legrand
TRAFFIC: Nina De Wet, Celia Chiarotto-Dafi
CREATIVE PRODUCER: Caroline Petrucelli
ASSISTANT TV PRODUCER: Manon Poudens
STRATEGIC PLANNER: Philippe Martin-Davies
PRODUCTION COMPANY: SOLDATS.TV
DIRECTOR: Jules Renault
LINE PRODUCER: Pierre Cazenave
PRODUCTION MANAGER: Charlotte Giral
INFLUENCE/SOCIAL MEDIA: BETC Digital, Mathilde Draeger, Claire Nascimbeni, Loubna Harifi
PRINT STUDIO: Bullprint
SOUND STUDIO: Start Rec
SOUNDTRACK: ” Afe ” Mokado
1st AIRDATE: 24 August, 2020
DURATION: 1 Year 
TERRITORY: France
ACTORS: Francis Bonneau, Maria Romualdo, Martine Fabregue, Danny Leveau, David Twose
MEDIA PLAN: WEB / PR