Electric carts are celebrating. Highly visible in October during the Paris Motor Show, vehicles that can be driven without a license are in turmoil, and their sales, although modest, are soaring while car registrations sink deeper into the crisis.
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After the launch of the Microlino, the Swiss reincarnation of the Isetta of the 1950s, the restyling of the Citroën Ami, a figurehead in the category, or the appearance of the Bagnole, a mini-pick-up “stripped of the superfluous” from the Savoyard brand Kilow, it is the turn of Mobilize to market two new products. The Renault subsidiary specializing in micromobility introduces the Duo for individuals (from 9,090 euros, bonus deducted) in a version without a license, with a speed limited to 45 km/h, or in a version accessible with a license, limited to 80 km/h, as well as the Bento, a utility derivative intended for professionals (from 10,000 euros, bonus deducted).
Manufactured in Tangier (Morocco) and designed according to the same architecture (the driver is installed in front of the passenger) as the Twizy which it succeeds, Duo has a range of around 150 kilometers and can be recharged from a domestic socket. Its doors open in elytra and all versions have a driver's airbag, equipment which is not compulsory for this category.
A somewhat narrow universe
These launches come as European sales of quadricycles, a recognized administrative term, are expected to increase by 30% this year in Europe. Appearing in 2020, the Citroën Ami can pride itself on having turned the somewhat narrow world of cars without a license upside down. Offered at a knockdown price (7,000 euros, ecological bonus deducted) for a range of 70 kilometers, this vehicle, minimalist on the outside and spartan on the inside, contributed to doubling sales of the category, rising in France from 13,376 to 26,000 in the last four years. The Ami, accessible from the age of 14 to AM license holders (ex-BSR), has also accelerated the electrification of quadricycle sales in which the share of thermal power will soon be in the minority.
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Also produced in Morocco, the mini-Citroën which will be entitled to a restyling in 2025 and its alter ego the Fiat Topolino have changed the way we look at vehicles previously thought to be reserved for the elderly or drivers deprived of a license. Because it appears to be a reassuring alternative to the scooter, the AMI has accelerated the emergence of a clientele of high school students and young adults, which has become dominant. According to Citroën, 77% of buyers are parents of a teenager.
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