Iconic Citroën 2CV is back as a cut-price EV – complete with roll-back roof and egg storage

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Citroën is bringing the 2CV back, and the good news is that it’s got the charm, spirit and affordability of the old model. The new 2CV Concept – revealed at the Paris Motor Show – previews a small car due to join the range by 2028, with a target starting price of Citroen says will be around €15,000 (£13,000).

The plan is to build the new car in Europe where it would meet new cut-price E-car regulations and could benefit from the proposed ‘Made in Europe’ incentives – it’ll slot it between Citroen’s tiny Ami and the C3 supermini.

Rather than returning as something bigger, the concept measures 3,760mm long – actually shorter than the original 2CV – with Citroën aiming to keep its weight down to around a tonne. Keeping it small is intended to make driving and parking easier, with the car pitched for both town and country use.

Those targets are central to the project; Citroën says a lighter car needs a smaller, cheaper battery, with enough range for everyday use. The new 2CV has also been designed with easy and cheap repairs in mind: the bumpers are separate from the bodywork and can be replaced independently, while flat surfaces are intended to simplify production. Air intakes sit directly beneath the windscreen, another design choice made with ease of manufacture in mind.

Citroën boss Xavier Chardon said: “Reinventing the 2 CV isn’t about replicating a car from the past; it’s about reinventing what made it unique: its simplicity, its accessibility and the freedom it offered.”

The original 2CV had a similarly down-to-earth job to do. Development began in 1936 under the name TPV, short for Toute Petite Voiture, or “very small car”, with a brief to create affordable, practical transport for people on low incomes. A prototype followed in 1937, with space for four people and 50kg of luggage.

War stopped plans to unveil the car at the 1939 Paris show, and the 2CV finally made its public debut there in 1948. Production began the following year, with a tiny 375cc, air-cooled, two-cylinder petrol engine producing 9bhp. Removable bench seats added to its usefulness, and demand pushed delivery times out to six years by 1950.

There was a British connection, too, with right-hand-drive 2CVs built in Slough from 1953. The 2CV even became a Bond car, appearing in the 1981 film For Your Eyes Only. Citroën marked that role with a 007 special edition, complete with fake bullet holes.

By the time the last 2CV left the factory in Mangualde, Portugal, in July 1990, more than 5.1 million had been built, including the vans. The year 2028 – when the new model is likely to arrive in showrooms – will mark the original’s 80th anniversary.

Citroën says the starting point for the new concept was to rethink the small electric car rather than recreate an old one, although there’s no shortage of familiar features. Round headlamps stand apart from the bodywork, alongside exposed windscreen wipers, rounded wings and that curved roofline – and a 2CV wouldn’t be complete with a fabric sunroof. Creases in the bonnet reference the pre-war prototypes, too, while indicators sit on the rear pillars.

The 19-inch wheels are steel rather than alloys, painted light grey with yellow clips carrying the 2CV name. Bespoke Michelin tyres feature Citroën chevrons, with the tyre company also developing technology to monitor their condition continuously and, apparently, help the car adapt to its surroundings.

The concept wears a paint colour called Infra Red, based on orange with yellow and red highlights. A black tailgate extends down to the bumper, flanked by LED lights and featuring three horizontal stripes and a visible handle Inside there’s yellow tartan upholstery and beige controls with a look inspired by Bakelite.

Recessed door panels help free up room for passengers, and there’s no traditional dashboard. Instead, a cylindrical structure carries a single-spoke steering wheel, a control lever and a paddle to select gears. Essential driving information appears in the driver’s line of sight, while an eight-inch square touchscreen in the concept uses graphics inspired by comic books.

The centre console has gone, too, replaced by a removable storage basket made using wood and 3D-printed bio-based plastic. Soft straps take the place of conventional interior door handles, and textured material inspired by cane and wickerwork appears around the cabin.

Wide seats use Citroën’s modern Advanced Comfort technology, with a pull-out front seat designed to make taking a break more relaxing. There’s also a detachable “Radioën” radio that doubles as a speaker, so you can take your music with you when you get out.

Even the pedals have been given a sense of humour, with a tortoise on the brake and a rabbit on the accelerator. The horn and electric motor’s starting sound echo the old 2CV, while the numbers 48, 90 and 26 on the windscreen mark its 1948 debut, the end of production in 1990 and the concept’s arrival in 2026.

Then there’s the storage for eggs in the doors. That’s a reference to the original car’s brief, which called for it to carry eggs across a ploughed field without breaking them. Whether the new 2CV will have the sale lolloping nature as the old model remans to be seen, but at least this electric concept gives those eggs their own space!

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