The mass transition of the automotive industry to the production of electric vehicles will fundamentally change the image of personal vehicles - crossovers, as the most popular type, will be replaced by smaller cars in size and weight, less versatile, but more functional, their design will be driven by energy efficiency. This forecast was made in an interview with Autocar by Vincent Kobe, Chief Executive Officer of Citroen, who tried to answer how the fundamental transition to mass production of electric vehicles will affect the global auto industry.
Switching the consumer to electric vehicles will require drastic, overarching changes in the industry, Kobe stressed. Automakers will inevitably face the need to drastically reduce the cost of producing electric vehicles and turn to energy-efficient technologies, recyclable materials like cardboard, reducing the proportion of metals in the structure and simplifying the design of the car itself.
As an example of a new integrated approach to an energy-efficient car, the head of Citroën cited the pilot project of a compact electric car with a curb weight of less than a tonne Citroën Oli, presented in September last year. To keep the mass within a symbolic value, the designers resorted to such solutions as the use of a cardboard-based composite for body panels, the rejection of sound insulation and the complete absence of service electronics.
At the same time, in order for such a consumer package not to be rejected by the market and sabotaged by competitors, the head of Citroen admits the need to enforce a restriction on the maximum permissible weight at a level lower than the average mass car today.
The head of Citroen predicts the imminent demise of crossovers
