Yet another interesting mobility idea to be seen for the first time at the Frankfurt Motor Show is Citroen's Tubik concept - a high-tech, high-comfort, connected executive shuttle. The idea came from Citroen's Multicity project, an online routefinder portal that provides a door-to-destination transport solution using all available modes - car, train, bus, plane etc.
In looking at the big picture, Citroen realised that something was missing - a vehicle was needed that was more than a taxi and more flexible than a limousine. The Citroen Tubik is that solution.
It has been fashioned using the latest technologies to be uber-comfortable with a flexible interior adaptable to carry a group of people or a single person and luggage.
No details have yet been disclosed of the Tubik, but the extensive image library indicates some really interesting interior solutions.
The Tubik's seats can fold down as a bed or can be reconfigured for a meeting.
Entertainment units fold from the roof and privacy is guaranteed.
The Multicity project is the result of studies carried out by Citroën on mobility as a whole, rather than the myopic view many automobile manufacturers take of focussing just on cars. Multicity has already launched in France to assist people who wish to travel from A to B most time-efficiently.
Citroen recognised that journey time rather than distance is the most important aspect of travel and the same journey can be made using many different means of transport. In consequence, the challenge for vehicle manufacturers is to develop solutions tailored to the mobility issues of the future.
If you're wondering why it isn't tubular, the name is actually a nod to the 1939 Citroen TUB (Traction Utilitaire du type B), one of the very first (if not the first) single box vans to be sold commercially. The pre-WWII TUB used monocoque construction (no chassis - the body was the chassis), a front engine and front wheel drive.
The TUB featured the world's first automotive side sliding door, a design concept that is now used in millions of light and medium vans around the world.
The advanced design of the TUB and subsequent Type H made them a blank canvas for conversions for myriad purposes. The Type H was in production for more than three decades, during which time it was converted into campers, mobile shops, people movers, Police vans, fire trucks, ambulances and countless other guises.
Films and television series set in France were immediately recognisable when the TUB, its post-war derivative, the Type H, or any of Citroen's iconic designs such as the 2CV or Traction Avant were visible.
