Citroën's new concept, OLI, is full of ideas and tips for offering a family electric car that is accessible without, however, calling into question the needs of families. After a first part on the exterior design, I offer you a review of what OLI offers to reinvent the interior of the electric family cars of tomorrow.
If OLI therefore surprises with its exterior style and in particular its horizontal and vertical surfaces, it also surprises with its interior, all dressed in red that Citroën has swarmed with finds to reduce the number of parts and therefore the weight of the vehicle.
The dashboard is thus extremely simple, consisting mainly of a horizontal tube running through the entire dashboard and to which the elements are attached. Note the huge storage compartment which replaces the glove box and which receives flexible pins to retain the belongings placed there. Citroën has focused on the details like the herringbone patterns found on the bottom of the dashboard. The smartphone, which acts as an on-board computer, slides into the center of the dashboard and the information is broadcast on a large screen that spans the width of OLI.
Simple does not mean non-functional, since Citroën offers five buttons for adjusting the air conditioning. Located within easy reach, they provide quick, simple and very practical access to the various air conditioning settings. note that they participate in the lightening of the concept since these buttons are hollow to save a few grams thus contributing to increase the weight of OLI to 1,000 kilos.
Similarly, Citroën does not equip OLI with an on-board audio system but uses two nomadic Bluetooth speakers, the same as AMI, which allow the music present on the smartphone to be played as a multimedia system. The speakers slide into the central tube of the dashboard, on each side of the car, they allow easy volume adjustment thanks to their large "+ - "buttons and thus be able to individually adjust the volume adjustment .
The seats are a central element of OLI and constitute one of its main feats. Composed of only 8 parts, compared to 34 for an equivalent SUV, they are fully recyclable without forgetting the concept of comfort, dear to the brand. Thus, the seats are very flexible and comfortable, close to an Advanced Comfort seat, while the backrests, in 3D printed plastic, are firmer. These parts are fixed on a visible structure on which shelves or other can be fixed quickly.
Note the presence, on the rear seats, of first aid kits located on the sides of the seats and therefore very easily accessible. Finally, the rear seats replace the bench seat, OLI is a 4-seater, and receives two cup holders in the center.
The interior is also made up of plastics for the floor, the same that is on basketball soles and which allows OLI to be cleaned with a water jet, Citroën having placed two exhaust nozzles under the dashboard. This plastic makes it possible to have a flexible and soft to the touch floor, composed of a single piece for the whole interior, it required many hours of study to determine the necessary flexibility (we see in the photo that 'it follows the ground) while maintaining durability. This same plastic also equips the cup holders located between the two rear seats.
Finally, OLI uses a Pick-up type tipper allowing easy access to the trunk which forms a perfectly flat floor when the two rear seats are folded down. We find the same material in recycled cardboard coated with polyurethane which forms the floor on which it is possible to climb on it, a light but very solid material. also note that the tailgate features the Citroën inscription in infrared color as well as the brand's new slogan 'Nothing moves us like Citroën' is engraved directly on an aluminum part.v