- Citroen revealed the Elo six-seater minivan concept. It's a bit like a futuristic Fiat Multipla.
- The company describes this concept as a "laboratory," showing the way forward for the brand's design.
- This is the kind of cool, quirky vehicle that Citroen should be making to stave off the wave of Chinese cars coming into Europe now.
In a world increasingly dominated by crossovers, there’s less space for vans—even though they're the real kings of interior space and modularity. Those who used to buy vans or people carriers have mostly moved to jacked-up SUVs, but they may return if the vehicles are as cool as a new concept that Citroën unveiled on Tuesday.
It’s called the Elo, and it’s a modern-day take on the controversial Fiat Multipla. It has a pod-like design, a cavernous interior with oodles of space in every direction and seating for up to six people. Each seat can be adjusted individually or removed altogether.
Citroën describes the Elo study as “a living space on wheels” that “adapts to your lifestyle,” calling it “more than a car.” The exterior design alone is enough to warrant that, since it looks like something beamed back from a few decades in the future. It’s brimming with unique design touches that are mostly missing from its current lineup, and maybe this study is a sign of things to come for the brand’s future visual direction.
It measures around 161.4 inches (4.1 meters) in total length, making it around eight inches shorter than a Chevrolet Bolt EUV. That’s not very big, yet the interior looks huge for its footprint, and you can see that the passenger compartment is pushed beyond where it is in most current cars. The company says it was able to create lots of interior space thanks to the vehicle's electric platform.
There are a bunch of other interesting quirks. The driver's seat is center-mounted, with the driver enveloped by a 180-degree windshield. The front and rear bumpers are identical, which the company says could save manufacturing and repair costs.
According to Citroën CEO Xavier Chardon, the vehicle “embodies Citroën's values and opens up perspectives on what drives our thinking today."
It shares the same design direction and philosophy as the Oli concept, which looked like a mini-GMC Hummer EV and previewed what an electric urban runabout could be like if Citroën let its hair down a little. The same goes for the Elo, whose hypothetical production model would get people talking about Citroën design again and possibly prove a sales success too.
Gallery: Citroen ELO (2026)
Citroën has less freedom under Stellantis than it donce did. But bold and quirky cars like the Elo are what it needs to produce, because drawing on its heritage is its main advantage over the competent, well-priced cars flooding Europe from China these days.
Renault is fully embracing retro design for most of its new EVs—even its vans—and it’s clearly working with the Renault 5 E-Tech being one of Europe’s top-selling EVs this year. Citroen should become more open to reimagining its icons. It tested the waters with the 2009, which reimagined the 2CV as a sporty Mini rival, but even though that concept also received a positive reception, the idea never progressed beyond the study.
Realistically, the Elo won’t spawn a production model, as cool as one would be, with its central driving position and sci-fi movie prop looks. Citroen does show the concept on the move in the official video, hinting at the kind of life you could lead if you owned one, but that still doesn’t bring it any closer to production.
