Citroen will revive the fun, back-to-the-basics beach car in Frankfurt

By Ronan Glon August 11, 2015

2010 Citroen Lacoste concept

Fun-focused beach cars used to be a common sight across southern Europe. On paper, the concept was relatively simple. Automakers like Fiat simply took a mundane economy car, chopped off the roof, and added a canvas top, while others — notably Citroën and later Renault — went through the hassle of designing a model-specific body.

Popular beach cars like the Citroën Méhari, the Mini Moke, and the Renault Rodeo all vanished without a true successor in the 1980s and the early 1990s, but at least one of those nameplates seems all but set to make a comeback. Paris-based Citroën has surprisingly beat MINI to the punch, and it has announced that it will give us an accurate preview of what a modern-day beach car could look like at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show.

Related Videos

According to Citroën, the concept will take the form of a “fresh and invigorating version of the C4 Cactus crossover that revisits the spirit of the legendary Méhari.” That’s not a lot to go on, but the statement seemingly hints that the yet-unnamed concept won’t feature a full-on retro-inspired design because it will be billed as an offshoot of the funky crossover, not as a standalone model.

Power will come from either a three- or a four-cylinder gasoline-burning engine pulled directly out of the Citroën parts bin, and the original Méhari’s famously light plastic body panels will most likely be replaced by sheet metal for cost and safety reasons. Whether it will retain the regular-production Cactus’ four-door setup or feature only two doors like the highly collectible 1968 model is anyone’s guess at this point.

Similarly, what the future holds for the funky concept largely depends on how showgoers, Citroënaholics, and prospective owners react to it. However, Citroën is progressively getting its wonderfully unique strand of weirdness back, and company CEO Linda Jackson recently hinted that she’s open to the idea of bringing back the Méhari.

“Maybe there is a place [in the lineup] for the Méhari. It’s something we are considering,” revealed the executive in an interview with trade journal Automotive News.

We’ll bring you full details and live images of Citroën’s next concept straight from the show floor in Frankfurt starting on September 15.

Déjà vu

Citroën has toyed around with the idea of a modern-day beach car on two separate occasions in recent memory. In 2003, the company launched an open-top version of the C3 city car dubbed C3 Pluriel that featured an innovative (albeit bulky) removable roof. Over 100,000 examples of the Pluriel were sold across Europe until it was given the ax in 2010.

The C3 Pluriel’s successor was previewed by a futuristic concept dubbed Lacoste (pictured) that was shown at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. Ultimately, the company couldn’t justify developing such a low-volume model because it was in dire financial straits so the Lacoste remained a concept and the C3 Pluriel was never replaced.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Cars

5G will make cars chattier and smarter, but there’s also a fun side to it

qualcomm snapdragon 855 news

Silicon Valley-based Qualcomm promised faster download speeds and instantaneous communication when it introduced the Snapdragon X55, its second-generation 5G modem, at MWC 2019. That’s great news for millions of smartphone and tablet users, these devices will be on the front line when 5G begins rolling out by the end of 2019, but the technology’s reach will extend far beyond your pocket, purse, or briefcase. Digital Trends talked to Maged Zaki, Qualcomm’s direct of technology and product marketing, to gain insight on some of the ways 5G will reach the automotive industry in the coming years.

The transition from 4G to 5G – which Qualcomm boldly calls “the invention age” – allows companies big and small to apply technology that has, until now, been primarily developed for mobile devices to other market segments, Zaki told Digital Trends. The automotive sector is one of the biggest and most promising areas of implementation because buyer demand and new laws around the world are forcing automakers to bake an increasing amount of connectivity into their models. These two market forces are shaping a new world order in which data is the main currency.

Smart Home

Colored fridges are back, baby! GE’s new appliances revive the 1950s trend

ge appliances cafe colors kbis 2019 fridge 1c

Color is way underestimated in the world of commerce -- there are entire firms dedicated to figuring out how color can affect branding and messaging in the typical consumer market, let alone the constantly evolving smart home market. Now GE Appliances’ budding new Café line is attacking the market with a vengeance, launching with a black and white version and promising an assortment of four new color hardware colors soon, starting with an announcement at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in Las Vegas this week.

“Café’s Customizable Professional Collection is the only line that allows, and encourages, personalization, while offering chef-inspired performance features and innovative technology,” Marc Hottenroth, executive director of industrial design at GE Appliances, said in a statement. “Finding appliances that allow for personalization can be frustrating due to limited options but with this new extension of the Café line, we can continue to offer customization to the masses and this time, in stainless.”

Cars

Citroën says you could drive its tiny Ami One electric car without a license

citroens ami one concept car is as cute it compact copyright maison vignaux continental productions

Ami One Concept - Next Generation design by Citroën

Whether you'd be happy driving such a small car along a busy highway depends largely on your tolerance for risk, though as a local runaround it could be quite nice. But one thing's for sure: No matter where you drove it, Citroën's tiny Ami One electric vehicle would turn heads, prompt double-takes, and probably result in people pointing at you and laughing. In a friendly way, of course.