FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: Citroen Tubik

Citroen is out to prove that a people-hauling van needn't be frumpy with its futuristic Tubik MPV concept, which debuts at next week's Frankfurt motor show.

Inspired by the TUB (Traction Utilitaire du type B) and Type H light vans produced by Citroen for more than four decades from 1939, the Tubik is billed as "a high-tech, high comfort, highly functional executive shuttle that is shared, intelligent, connected and eco friendly".
 
Measuring 4800mm long, 2080mm wide and 2050mm high – similar in length to a Toyota Tarago, but almost 300mm wider and taller – the Tubik is said to be capable of accommodating up to nine passengers across three rows of seats.

Explaining the rationale behind the vehicle, Citroen says: "A vehicle was needed that was more than a taxi, more flexible than a limousine and as much fun as a trip to the beach."

In keeping with this multi-faceted job description, the seats can fold down as a bed or swing around for a meeting; entertainment units fold from the roof and privacy is guaranteed.

The flexible seating arrangement is described as a "lounge-style cocoon" with ambient lighting, felt seats and a leather floor. It also features a giant semi-circular TV screen and high-definition surround sound.

The driver – who is identified by a fingerprint recognition system – is housed in a so-called 'cyclotron' that groups the seat, pedal assembly, steering wheel and head-up display in a circular pod.

The concept's cabin door opens along the entire side of the vehicle to allow access to the front and rear.

Propulsion for the all-wheel-drive Tubik comes from a PSA Hybrid4 powertrain that comprises a diesel engine driving the front wheels and an electric motor powering the rear wheels.

Riding on chrome-laden 22-inch wheels with low-rolling-resistance tyres, the Tubik features Citroen's Hydractive suspension technology, which automatically lowers the vehicle at high speeds to improve aerodynamics.

Citroen claims it invented what is known today as the single box van with the 1939 TUB, which had a monocoque construction, front engine, front-wheel drive and allegedly the world's first van side sliding door.

The flexible design of the TUB and Type H made them highly adaptable and conversions saw them used not just as vans, but campers, mobile shops, police vans, fire trucks, ambulances and more.

The TUB and the Type H, with its distinctive bull-nose design, which was developed from it directly after the war, became as much an iconic part of any French streetscape as the Citroen 2CV, Traction Avant and DS.

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