Mobilize DUO vs 45 Citroën AMI

The very recent release of the Mobilize Duo, the successor to the Renault Twizy, immediately raises the question of whether it can really compete with the Citroën Ami, at least on paper, while waiting for feedback from the first users, which will not be long in coming. A good part of its career will be played out in this battle.

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It is the Duo 45 model, limited to 45 km/h which is a direct rival to the Citroën Ami, both vehicles being part of the L6e category of 'light quadricycles'.

The table below groups together the main elements of comparison. They are standard unless otherwise indicated.

		Mobilize Duo 45	Citroën Ami
Performances	Speed	45 km/h	45 km/h
	Engine power	5,6 kW	6 kW
Autonomy and recharge	Battery	10,3 kWh	5,5 kWh
	Autonomy WMTC	161 km	75 km
	Recharge time	5h30	4h00
	Recharge efficiency (autonomy recovered per hour of charging)	29 km / hour of charging	19 km / hour of charging
Dimensions	Length	2,43 m	2,41 m
	Width	1,30 m	1,39 m
	Heigth	1,46 m	1,52 m
	Turning diameter	6,80 m	7,20 m
Safety	Driver airbag	yes	no
	Driver's belt with force limitation	yes	no
exteriors	Watertight doors	Elytron doors	Antagonistic doors
	Tinted glasses	yes	no
	Hinged side windows	yes	yes
	Panoramic glass roof	no	yes
	Heated windshield (defrosting)	yes	no
Intérieur	Seats	2 seats in tandem	2 seats side by side
	Manual ventilation (defogging)	yes	yes
	Heating	no	yes
		(optional heated driver's seat €300)
	Air conditioning	no	no
		(optional €1,000)
	Storage	90 liters on the driver's sides	63 liters in front of the passenger
Rates	Price (excluding bonus) from (France)	9 990,00 €	7 990,00 €
	Long term rental from (France)	29€/month for 36 months. 1st rental of 2990€ excluding bonus. 15,000 km	€19.99/month for 35 months. 1st payment of €2,990 excluding bonus. 15,000 km

Autonomy and recharge

Technically, what first distinguishes the Mobilize Duo from the Citroën Ami is a much larger battery capacity that gives the Duo a range of 161 km, more than double that of the Ami. Its charging is also much more efficient.

Dimensions

Although the dimensions are practically comparable, we notice that the Mobilize Duo is more manoeuvrable than the Citroën Ami with a turning diameter 40 centimetres smaller.

Safety

With a driver's airbag and a force-limiting driver's seat belt, safety is a real strong point of the Mobilize Duo 45 compared to the Citroën Ami which does not have these elements.

Exteriors

 

(Model photos with options)

The Citroën Ami scores 1 point with its panoramic glass roof that does not even exist as an option for its rival. On the other hand, the gull-wing doors of the Duo 45 are an undeniable advantage both in terms of the "Wow!" effect, already widely observed with the Renault Twizy, and in terms of safety, because there is no risk of hitting a cyclist with the door when exiting. However, one may wonder about this type of opening in garages with a slightly low ceiling.

Another positive point for the Mobilize Duo 45 is the heated windscreen that the Citroën Ami does not have, and which has proven to be very effective for defrosting with the Renault Twizy.

Interior

While the Citroën Ami has 2 seats side by side, the tandem seating arrangement of the Mobilize Duo is a problem, because of the difficulty of accessing the rear seat, the lack of user-friendliness, not to mention the feeling of confinement that the passenger can have.

The Citroën Ami has a heater that is not known to be very efficient, but the Mobilize Duo offers nothing but an optional heated driver's seat, certainly more efficient, but only for the driver. The Duo can be fitted with optional air conditioning.

The storage volumes are quite small for both vehicles, but the Mobilize Duo still offers more, 90 liters compared to 63 for the Ami.

 

Dashboards of the Mobilize Duo 45 and the Citroën Ami

Rates

The most critical point is the price difference of €2,000 between the Mobilize Duo 45 (€9,990.00) and the Citroën Ami (€7,990.00). This gap is probably justified by the large additional autonomy and safety features provided by the Duo 45, among other things, but it risks diverting many small budgets to its competitor, already sold in more than 65,000 units worldwide. The rental rates, €29/month compared to €19.99/month, do not improve anything on this point.

Conclusion

We will see how the market as a whole will react to the Mobilize Duo's arguments. While the Citroën Ami seems untouchable in the low-budget segment, we cannot rule out a craze among young and old for a vehicle with a more futuristic look. 

The Duo's greater safety may influence some wealthier parents of novice drivers, but also many others. Its autonomy may be a decisive criterion, for example in rural areas poorly served by public transport and charging stations, and where the distances to be covered are longer. 

The match is therefore playable, especially since the 80 version of the Duo, with a license and limited to 80 km/h, has no equivalent at Citroën and its existing competitors are much more expensive.

Sources

Mobilize : https://www.mobilize.fr/gamme/mobilize-duo.html

Citroën : https://www.citroen.fr/ami