TOP OF THE FLOPS
THE car industry has always excelled when it comes to innovation, and we’re certainly reaping the benefits as we embrace an exciting era of relatively new technologies such as electrification, automation and micro-mobility.
But not every idea that the industry’s boffins come up with is a good one. And even when they do produce something clever, there’s no guarantee that the general public will agree.
Over the next four pages, we take a look at some tech innovations of the past that, for a variety of reasons, did not have quite the intended impact.
A roof that provided five cars in one
THE hype that surrounded the Citroen C3 Pluriel’s arrival in 2003 was extraordinary. It was claimed to deliver five bodystyles in minutes, thanks to its canvas roof mounted on a pair of arches.
You could have a comfortable four-seat saloon with a roomy boot; an open-top “leisure vehicle” with a full-length sunroof; a Targa-style semi-convertible with the roof removed
