Who makes Bluecar?
Bluecar is the electric-car name of the French Bolloré Group, a long-established industrial group whose interests include energy storage and electric mobility. Its vehicles were part of a wider effort that also included electric buses and car-sharing services. The Bluecar itself was designed with Italian styling house Pininfarina.
The name can be confusing: Bluecar is both the marque and the name of its best-known city car. In the range, it sat alongside the Bluesummer, a more open-air electric car.
What models are in the Bluecar range?
The Bluecar was a compact, all-electric city car, developed with urban use and shared-car fleets in mind. Its small-car format suited short trips and tight streets, while its electric drive meant there was no petrol engine to refuel.
The Bluesummer offered a different take on electric motoring: a four-seat convertible intended for leisure driving. It was distributed in France through Citroën under a partnership with Bolloré. The two models gave the short-lived range distinct roles, from everyday city travel to open-air outings.
How did the range develop?
Both models appear in European Union registration figures from 2014. The Bluecar continued through 2018, while the Bluesummer appears through 2016. The shorter run of the convertible reflects a change in the partnership: production of the Bluesummer stopped in 2016 as Citroën’s electric E-Mehari took its place.
The Bluecar was the larger presence in the range over these years, with 6,144 EU registrations from 2014 to 2018. The Bluesummer recorded 840 from 2014 to 2016. Those figures show the city car as the mainstay, with the convertible a smaller companion.
Where were Bluecar cars sold or registered?
The market represented here is the European Union, through EEA registration figures. The models span 2014 to 2018, with the Bluecar running for the full period and the Bluesummer ending earlier. Their electric character was central to the marque: Bolloré’s vehicle work was closely tied to its battery and car-sharing activities.
Official consumption and emissions figures can depend on the test used. European results may use WLTP or the older NEDC procedure; US EPA and Canadian 5-cycle results are produced under different methods, so figures from those markets should not be compared as if they were measured alike.
Questions and answers
Was the Bluecar fully electric?
Yes. The Bluecar was an electric city car, with no petrol engine.
What was the difference between the Bluecar and Bluesummer?
The Bluecar was the compact city car; the Bluesummer was a four-seat electric convertible designed for leisure use.
When was the Bluesummer available?
It appears in EU registration figures from 2014 to 2016. Production stopped in 2016 as the Citroën E-Mehari took its place.
Where do Bluecar registration figures come from?
European Union registration figures reported through the EEA cover the models’ recorded years.