An electric car without a license in the Ligier factory in Boufféré, western France, on April 11, 2023 (AFP/LOIC VENANCE)
In a niche market but in full expansion, the French manufacturer of cars without a license Ligier presented its first electric vehicle which aims to conquer new targets, starting with young people who can afford it.
No more formless soap box with a rustic engine sputtering loudly. The famous “carts”, long associated with drivers who have lost their driving license for speeding or alcohol, are seeing their image change.
“We had customers who historically did not want to be stigmatized as those without a license. So we made very bland vehicles in their presentation, which could go unnoticed in the flow of traffic”, explains François Ligier, CEO of the manufacturer. eponym.
Now, customers – nearly half of whom are teenagers – are clamoring for style. It is this public that Ligier wants to reach with the Myli, its very first electric model.
Bright colors, design that tries to ape the SUV, touch pads and air conditioning: the equipment is more numerous. The manufacturer also relies on a “record” autonomy – 192 km in its most expensive version.
– Affluent clientele –
Inevitably, the price is affected, ranging from 12,500 to 17,100 euros, depending on the finish. Rates that do not hinder a clientele that is often wealthy and eager to offer a safer vehicle than the traditional scooter to their minor children.
In a few years, the car without a license has become a phenomenon in certain regions. “This adolescent audience, we will find it close to cities, very significantly in the Mediterranean basin from Marseille to Nice”, explains François Ligier.
The Paris region is not spared by the trend, “for example Neuilly, fairly CSP+ areas”, according to Mr. Ligier, where there too the golden youth is betting on the car without a license.
Ligier factory in Boufféré, western France, on April 11, 2023 (AFP / LOIC VENANCE)
In the local press, articles mention the surroundings of high schools saturated by these vehicles in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. Recently, the video of a Citroën AMI taking corners at full speed – these cars are limited to 45 km / h – in Monaco before ending up in the background made the rounds on social networks.
According to François Ligier, the market has been growing by around 10% per year for 10 years. The creation of the AM license in 2013, which lowered the driving age for light quadricycles from 16 to 14, gave a boost to the market.
– EPZ revolution –
Just like “the arrival of new competitors” in particular Citroën with the AMI (electric), star of the genre, recognizes the boss of Ligier.
“When Citroën entered the market three years ago, it communicated in a massive way as we never could have done, by having access to the media and to advertising in a much broader way”, which benefited all industry, admits the CEO.
Assembly line of electric cars without a license in the Ligier factory in Boufféré (Vendée), April 11, 2023 (AFP / LOIC VENANCE)
If the AMI was sold to 8,200 copies in 2022 (+ 23% in one year), Ligier says to have sold 16,500 vehicles last year. For the Myli, which will be launched in May, the objective is 2,000 sales in 2023. Half of the production is intended for export, in particular Italy where the car without a license has been in vogue for many years.
In front of the assembly line of his factory in Boufféré (Vendée), from which 40 cars come out a day, François Ligier proudly claims the Made in France label for his vehicles – inevitably more expensive than an AMI produced in Morocco.
Within five years, Ligier would like to double in size – 192 million euros in turnover in 2022 – by also betting on professional vehicles, in particular small electric utilities.
“The arrival of ZFEs (low emission zones) is revolutionizing mobility in the city center for goods and therefore new mobility devices will be necessary to support this transformation”, wants to believe François Ligier.
© 2023 AFP
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