Citroen To Release The Mehari Again - And This Time It Is Electric

1971 Citroen Mehari

Back in the 1970 - Citroen used to make a clever little jeep called the Mehari. Mehari means camel - and this vehicle was designed to skim across the sandy deserts of Africa. It had an ABS plastic body - and a tiny 2 cylinder gasoline engine. They were imported into the USA for a couple years and cost about $1600. Lulu and I wanted one badly and took a road trip to a dealer in Harrisburg Pennsylvania that sold them. 

They were very popular cult cars in Paris until someone started bombing them - literally setting off car bombs inside them. The plastic bodies would shatter into millions of pieces. 

Citroen will introduce the car again in 2016 - but this time it is electric. It will have a top speed of 68 miles per hour and a range of 127 miles. The lithium batteries will be able to be charged at home from a regular outlet. Since the bodies are made of several plastic moldings - with the paint pigment all the way through - one can change the paint color using a couple wrenches. 

The new Mehari has two roll bars - removable roof panels - and many safety features not available on the old Mehari.