Preamble
The history of the motor car is punctuated by bold projects, by futuristic visions that sometimes never see the light of day. The Citroën Citela is one of them. Quite a while ago now, I had the urge to bring it back to life, in my own way, in 1/43 scale. I made a test copy, and then I moved on to other things, notably my first shared model, the Type J. It was thanks to this first creation and another miniature designer collector (Peter, better known as Marpytoysthat the project was revived and has resulted today in different versions of this miniature.
Historical reminder: the dawn of the electrical age
In the early 1990s, European cities, and Paris in particular, were suffocating. Traffic was heavy, pollution omnipresent and parking a daily headache. It was against this backdrop that Citroën, true to its reputation as an innovative manufacturer, revived its research into the electric car. The ECO 2000 project, carried out a few years earlier, had already paved the way. But with the Citela, presented in 1992 at the Seville Universal Exposition, the double-chevron brand went much further.
An ambitious project: modularity serving the urban environment
The Citela (for CITy ELectric Automobile) is not just a simple electric car. It was a true «transformer» ahead of its time. Designed by the coachbuilder Heuliez, it is based on a technical platform to which an interchangeable passenger cell can be attached. In less than five minutes, the Citela can thus transform into a city car, a pick-up, a cabriolet or even a small utility vehicle. Unprecedented versatility, designed to adapt to all the needs of urban life.
Technical specifications
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Engine | 72 V / 20 kW electric |
| Batteries | Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) |
| Autonomy | 110 km (urban cycling) to 210 km (steady speed) |
| Maximum speed | 110 km/h |
| Acceleration | 0 to 50 km/h in 8 seconds |
| Weight | 790 kg |
| Length | 2.96 m |
| Top-up | 8 hours from a standard socket, rapid charging available |
A comprehensive ecological vision
Beyond its clean engine, the Citela is designed to be environmentally friendly from its conception to its recycling. Its bodywork is made of recycled plastic, and all parts are marked to facilitate their treatment at the end of their life. Silent and non-polluting, it embodies a harmonious vision of urban mobility.
An unexpected inheritance
Despite extensive testing (the prototypes reportedly covered over a million kilometres!), the Citela was never released for sale. Too far ahead of its time? Undoubtedly. But its legacy was not in vain. The powertrain developed for this concept served as the basis for the PSA Group’s first production electric cars: the Citroën AX and Peugeot 106 Électrique. A pilot project was even planned in La Rochelle, which could have become the first city in the world with a network of public charging points.
The Citela in miniature: a collaboration between passionate collectors
We have pooled the documentation on the model and done some extra research. Not easy... Peter has done a lot of modelling for the interior and the layout using the bodywork elements I had modelled. We'll let you appreciate the result. Head over to the website of Marpytoys.
