The Citroen ELO The concept may not accommodate all of the members of the Electric Light Orchestra, but it does provide a surprising amount of space for a city car.
Citroen says the name is not a reference to the prog-rock band, but rather uses the second letter of the words “Rest,” “Play” and “Work.”
At just 4.1m long, the ELO is 50mm longer than the Volkswagen Polo and 95mm longer than the C3, but offers space to transport six people and their equipment and also functions as a motorhome. Thanks to its height of 1.7 m and the completely flat floor, there is plenty of head and legroom for all passengers.
Getting in and out should be easy as there are two double sliding doors and no B-pillars blocking the way. Similar to the Fiat Multipla and the Honda FR-V, the ELO has two rows of three.
Like a McLaren F1, the driver sits in the middle and the passenger seats are set back. According to Citroen, this arrangement provides the driver with an easy 180-degree view of the vehicle’s surroundings.
A desk attachment allows the car to function as a mobile office, and the driver’s seat rotates to face the rear passengers.
Instead of a head-up display and touchscreen, a wide strip at the bottom of the windshield shows all the information the driver needs.
The front seats on either side of the driver can be removed and either stored under the rear seats when on the move or removed completely from the car and used as picnic chairs.
While the rear seats cannot be completely removed, the bases can be removed and used as stools as they have fold-out legs. With the rear seats folded down, two single mattresses can be lowered from the ceiling to transform the car into a camper.
The ELO is also designed as a base camp for outdoor gatherings. To this end, there is a canopy that can be stretched over the doors to provide additional shade, a projector screen that slides down from the ceiling, a built-in air pump and various electrical outlets.
Although the ELO is rumored to be used on an EV-specific platform, Citroen has not revealed any details about the concept’s powertrain or battery pack.
Xavier Chardon, CEO of Citroen, says that the ELO “conveys our vision of what Citroen should be” and that it “meets all the criteria of what has been the brand’s DNA for over 100 years.”
It is unknown whether Citroen plans to put the ELO or something similar into production. If so, the brand will return to the car-based people mover scene it abandoned after dropping the C3 Picasso in 2017 and the C4 Picasso in 2022.
Citroen wasn’t the only European brand to abandon its car-based people movers in favor of SUVs and van-based models; Ford, Renault and Opel have also taken similar steps.
MORE: Discover the Citroen showroom
