Like so many concept cars, you're not going to see this Lacoste tie-in rolling down your local high street any time soon. Really, this car is designed to inspire the people who are responsible for the Citroëns you will buy, to keep them fresh and to give them new ideas. This concept then, is a bit of out-of-the-box thinking, a practical brainstorm, if you will.

Our quick take

FORAGAINST

Pocket-lint got a good chance to look at this exciting new concept car, and we spoke to its designer Celine Venet, who explained her vision. Mainly she said, it's supposed to be fun, and make you smile.

The car is designed to take inspiration from both Lacoste fashion, and the sports which that company is heavily involved with. For example, the wheels echo golf balls and the fabrics used on the seats are also similar to those used in tennis outfits. You'll also notice that the car has a sun visor, that can be lowered, when not needed, and it too echos a pair of Lacoste sunglasses.

The first thing you notice about this car is that it doesn't have a roof. In our photos you won't see any protection from the elements at all, but the car does have a some rain shielding, in the form of an inflatable roof, which wasn't in place when we saw the car. This car then, might not strike you as appropriate for the UK. But, with that said, the surfaces are all designed to repel water, and there are drainage points in the car too. So, if you do find yourself caught in a storm, the car will be just fine after, even if its occupants are a little moist.

The car also features a design that makes it easy to get in and out of the vehicle. Handles allow you to pull yourself up and hop in, almost like a golf buggy. Of course, with no plan to sell the car, the engine is semi-irrelevant, but Citroën says it would have a 3-cylinder petrol engine, that would produce enough power for this small, light car, and make it fun to drive, but inexpensive too.

We like the idea of the dashboard too. It's a display that reminds us of a tennis scoreboard, and Venet tells us that the decision to make each individual pixel large, and visible, was designed to echo the style of a tennis net. But all the information you need is here too, it's just a radically different style to most euro-box production vehicles. We rather liked it.

And, as our time with the car came to a close, we realised that, as promised, it was making us smile.

Watch our video interview with Celine Venet and see the car in more detail with our video hands-on:

Are concept cars pointless, or does this Lacoste concept make you smile?