Citroën has previewed a potential return to making MPVs with the dramatic new ELO concept – a tiny six-seater described by the brand as a “house on wheels”.

It is an electric car that measures just 4.1m long yet hosts a novel three-by-three interior configuration with a McLaren F1-style central driving position.

The driver’s seat features its own suspension, in the form of foam blocks inside its frame, and comes with a desk attachment for working on the go. The front passenger chairs, meanwhile, can be removed and stowed inside the rear row when they aren’t needed.

The rear seats were inspired by the pop-out camping furniture stocked by French sporting goods retailer Decathlon, with which Citroën collaborated to design the ELO. Although the row of seats itself is fixed, the bases can be removed and feature fold-out legs for use outside the car.

The seatbacks can be folded flat too, providing a floor for a pair of single mattresses suspended from the ELO’s ceiling. The same hooks that support these mattresses can also be used to fit a projector screen for watching films while inside the car.

Citroën said its intention is for the ELO to function as a “base camp”. As such, plug sockets and an air pump are integrated into the flanks of the floor, accessible while the sliding doors are open, and an awning can be mounted across these doors to provide shade.

Meanwhile, the extrusions on the front and rear running lights are topped with a grid-like anti-slip surface, enabling them to be used as trays for dinner plates.

The same texture is used on the top of the dashboard, so phones can be placed vertically next to the driver while they are connected to the ELO’s wide head-up display screen.

But Citroën contends that there is no traditional ‘dashboard’ as such. The driver is instead cocooned by the fascia into their own compartment, with the front passengers offset slightly behind this panel.

Physical buttons have been kept to a minimum. The electric motor starter and hazard light switch are mounted on the steering column, while secondary functions are controlled using a pair of video game-style joysticks that are mounted on the steering wheel.

According to Citroën, providing a large glasshouse to let lots of natural light into the interior – was a priority for the ELO, manifesting in a bubble-like front screen and a low shoulder line.