1972 Citroen on 2040-cars

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Citroen My Ami Buggy goes into limited production

Back in December, Citroen turned its tiny, low-speed electric Ami into a chunky little beach cruiser called the My Ami Buggy. It had fat tires and a bunch of off-road accessories that were probably more form than function, but it was a fun and funky little thing. Apparently a lot of people agreed and Citroen has made the decision to actually bring the My Ami Buggy to reality, though in extremely limited numbers. Like the concept, the My Ami Buggy features unique khaki-tinted plastic body panels. It also picks up a variety of exterior panels from higher trim Pop and Vibe variants, such as the bumpers, wheel arches, rear spoiler and such. There are also other concept-inspired touches such as the lime-yellow accents and arrows and contrasting black roof. Some things did change in the shift to production. Instead of no doors, the production model gets tube doors, like you'd find on many modded Jeep Wranglers. The extra fat tires and tiny wheels give way to more practical larger wheels and conventional tires. The wheels look great, though, in their khaki gold color and black center caps. There isn't a roof rack or auxiliary lights anymore, but the trade-off is that the My Ami Buggy gets a canvas roll-back roof for even greater open-air enjoyment. The inside of the My Ami Buggy features black fabric upholstery along with lime-yellow stitching and other accents, plus a few interior storage options. The floor mats continue the color scheme. And like all special editions, this car will get special badges and plates, one of which has possibly the best phrasing ever: "My Ami Buggy ULTRA SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION." Only 50 of the buggies will be built, and all of them will be sold in France. Pricing hasn't been set, but this is one ultra-limited edition car that will probably be affordable. After all, the base Ami starts at less than $10,000. If you happen to live in France and want to get one, they go on sale online on July 21 with deliveries starting on August 8. Related video: You Can Drive This 1 Horsepower Car On The Road Without A License | The List

PSA's purchase of Opel from GM is expected to be finalized soon

PSA's purchase of the Opel/Vauxhall division from General Motors is expected to be officially announced on Monday, according to The New York Times. PSA, the parent company of European automakers Peugeot and Citroen, will reportedly hold a joint press conference with GM in Paris to announce the deal. GM has worked as part of an alliance with PSA in Europe since 2012. The deal could be a big boon for both companies. For PSA, the addition of Opel and Vauxhall into its fold would catapult the automaker into second place behind Volkswagen for European marketshare, and would allow the company to spend research and development costs across a greater number of vehicles. And GM, which has struggled in recent years to turn a profit with its European division, would be able to focus more squarely on the areas where it's most profitable and to invest in future technologies like automation. But the deal isn't without its potential pitfalls, primarily for PSA. GM hasn't been able to make a success of Opel and Vauxhall, and it's not a sure bet that PSA will, either. What's more, the addition of Opel and Vauxhall doesn't expand PSA's reach any further into new markets, like China or India. The NYT cites data from Ferdinand Dudenhoffer, a professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany, showing that 70 percent of PSA and Opel business is done in Europe, a market that has been shrinking since 1999. We'll have to wait a few days to see exactly how the deal between PSA and GM will be structured. We're also curious to see how the loss of Opel may affect GM's lineup in the States, especially for Buick, since the company's Regal sedan is based on the European Opel Insignia. In other words, stay tuned. Related Video:

Recharge Wrap-up: BorgWarner buys Remy, Citroen's Bluesummer

BorgWarner will buy Remy International. The auto parts maker, known especially for its turbocharging technology, will buy Remy, a maker of electric motors for EVs and hybrids, in order to better compete in a growing electrified vehicle market. In a deal expected to close late this year, BorgWarner has offered to buy 32.2 million shares of Remy at $29.50 each for a total of about $950 million. Remy did about $1.2 billion in sales in 2014. Read more from Reuters. Deliveries of the Tesla Model S P85D will begin soon in Hong Kong. Some customers there have received emails from Tesla saying, "Your Model S is ready to enter production," and asking for registration information. Hong Kong is likely to be one of the first locations to receive the right-hand-drive version of the P85D. The first deliveries are expected in late August. Read more at Inside EVs. Tesla Motors has hired Ganesh Srivats as its vice president for sales in North America. Srivats is the former senior vice president at British luxury fashion brand Burberry. The hire will help Tesla build its luxury lifestyle image as the company enters more markets around the globe. "If Tesla is thinking that they are selling a lifestyle and a way of thinking, then someone from Burberry could be the right choice," says Ken Harris of Cadent Consulting Group. "Burberry gets lifestyle." Earlier this year, Tesla reassigned its vice president of worldwide sales and service Jerome Guillen, and created separate sales positions for North America, Europe and Asia. Read more from Bloomberg. Citroen will distribute Bollore's four-seat, electric convertible, the Bluesummer. Bollore Group and PSA Peugeot Citroen recently announced that the funky EV would be built at PSA's plant in Rennes, France beginning in September. While it originally appeared that the Bluesummer would be available through carsharing programs, Citroen now says it will sell the Bluesummer through its dealership network. "This partnership with the Bollore Group is an opportunity for the Citroen network to increase its sales by attracting to its showrooms new customers who like the originality and freshness of the Bluesummer and thus promoting all the vehicles in the range," says Philippe Narbeburu, sales director for Citroen France. Read more in the press release below.