Well, it's neither a car nor a toy. It’s a quadricycle that in several European countries does not require a driving license to operate what Citroen describes as "an ideal toy for grown-ups aged 14 to 77".

Some 23,500 My Ami vehicles have already been sold. At the moment, Ireland is not on the list for distribution but it is being marketed in France, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Greece, Morocco and Turkey.

The My Ami Tonic has a 5.5 kWh battery driving a 6kW electric motor. Citroen says it has a range of up to 74 kilometres and a top speed of 45 km per hour. In the UK it has a price of £8,095 - the equivalent of €9,356.

As an extension of the ultra small car concept first seen with Smart cars and the Toyota IQ - or even the Heinkel bubble car, if you want to go that far back - it’s a vehicle with a legitimate claim to being both environmentally friendly and one that would have an extremely small footprint in cities.

This latest version of the My Ami has headlamp bezels designed to resemble sunglasses. The interior has functional accessories such as a smartphone clamp, three storage bins, door nets, a central separation net, a bag hook, floor mats and a dongle to connect with a smartphone.

Perhaps it's not up there in the styling stakes and the interior may resemble a modern tractor cab, but barring some legal obstacle about its power status the My Ami might just be what cities in Ireland need to help with their transition to fully-electric vehicles. And at a time when electric cars are expensive, it's price point might just be what's needed too.

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