Tiny House
December 10, 2025
Jay RameyCitroën's latest EV concept imagines an MPV that can transform into a living space, but it's not big at all on the outside.
The mini-MPV is still alive in Europe, but just barely, having ceded plenty of ground to crossovers and SUVs in recent years. And it’s perhaps one of the last few segments where European automakers, including French ones, have tended to excel since their golden age in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Citroën’s latest concept car, dubbed ELO and set to be revealed in full at the Brussels Motor Show next month, gives a fresh look at the mini-MPV segment while serving as “a laboratory of ideas that embodies the brand’s values of innovation and creativity,” the automaker says.
The name itself derives from the second letters of the words Rest, Play, and Work, so it’s not a tribute to a certain ’70s British rock band.
Measuring just 161.4 inches from bow to stern, the ELO is shorter than a Ford Focus hatch by nearly a foot, yet still promises seating for up to six. And with wheels pushed to the edges of its footprint, the interior does not seem as compact as the concept’s measurements suggest.
How do six people fit into something that’s shorter than a Focus hatch?
Two small fold-away seats can deploy forward from underneath the back row to positions just behind and to the sides of the centrally positioned driver’s seat, which can also swivel to face the rear-seat passengers conference-style, in case the driver needs to talk to them (in French, of course).
“The ratio of exterior dimensions to interior space is unbeatable for a minivan that makes efficient use of every cubic centimeter while offering a modern, friendly and attractive style,” the automaker notes.
Among other things, the central driving position offers a 180-degree view of the outside world. But the windshield isn’t quite a wraparound shape, as thin pillars support the mostly flat front glass pane that incorporates a horizontal band positioned along its bottom, onto which information can be projected, or rather reflected.
Dubbed the Smartband, images from flat screens are reflected on a transparent pane that features a reflective film.
“This new display requires much less expensive technology in terms of development and potential production than a conventional head-up display,” the automaker points out.
But the transformable interior is still the main event.
An electric platform makes this economy of room possible, with the concept featuring an interior described as a modular living space. It even includes a mattress that can deploy from behind the rear seats and over their folded backs, creating a sleeping space.
“It is totally in tune with the times and offers concrete, innovative solutions to promote freedom of movement and a better life,” says brand CEO Xavier Chardon. “Its style expresses friendliness and joie de vivre, and its ultra-modular interior is designed as a living space in its own right.”
Living out of your car is totally in tune with the times, I have to admit, so perhaps that’s why we are now seeing a compact MPV with a transforming interior and room for you and five family members. Still, it’s seems like a tight fit as far as living in your car goes, and the older American minivans I see in Walmart parking lots performing this very role are far more generous in size than the ELO, though certainly far more depressing to look at.
I also have to admit the driver’s central space in the ELO looks very cozy, especially with pedals covered in the same material as the rest of the interior.
The automaker doesn’t mention the specifics of the concept’s electric powertrain aside from the fact that it’s a single-motor RWD layout, but so is just about every lounge-style concept these days.
It remains to be seen whether Citroën or another European automaker can resuscitate the compact MPV segment, at a time when Chinese EV brands are making gains in other segments on Citroën’s home turf. As it happens, Chinese automakers are also quite keen on the MPV bodystyle, though mostly of the large and ultra-luxury variety.
So Europe still has time to stake a claim to some of its traditionally stronger segments.
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December 10, 2025
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