Citroen 2 CV Concept Returns as an Affordable Electric City Car

Citroën pulled the cover off its 2 CV Concept at the Paris Motor Show this week, and the little electric hatch looks ready to pick up where the original left off after production ended in 1990. Officials describe it as a preview of a production model due by 2028, built in Europe and aimed at buyers who want something compact, light, and priced around 15,000 euros. That figure sits well below most current electric city cars and would place the finished version between the tiny Ami and the C3 in the lineup.

Designers carried the original trailer over into this new version but gave it a tight turn by keeping it to 3.76 meters in length, only a hair shorter than the automobiles that rolled out of French manufacturers for nearly 40 years. The headlamps are clear and separate from the body, while the bonnet retains the ribbed creases that first appeared on the TPV prototype, and the driver may still pull back the fabric roof by hand. The eighteen-inch steel wheels wear recognizable Michelin tires with chevrons and, of course, a Heritage emblem, while a plate at the back cycles through the car’s nicknames in various nations. There are LED lights on either side of a black tailgate that lowers almost to the bumper.

They’re looking for a weight of around one ton, and the idea is that the lower mass allows you to use a smaller battery that’ll suffice for everyday driving rather than trying to take it on lengthy road trips, which helps keep the car’s price low. We don’t know what the motor output or range is yet. The idea is that it will fit the new European criteria that are being developed for smaller electric vehicles, and it will be manufactured on the continent, making it eligible for all of the incentives available in Europe.

Inside, there isn’t much going on, with a simple cylinder replacing a dashboard and housing a single-spoke steering wheel, one control lever, and a gear selector, topped off by an eight-inch square screen that resembles a comic strip, a removable basket replacing the console, and a front bench that can be hauled out for picnics.

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The door pockets are really designed to keep eggs, a direct nod to td to keep eggs, a direct nod to the original brief that required the car to carry a basket of them across rough ground without breakage. Simply use some fabric straps to hold the door handle, and there is a detachable radio that also functions as a portable speaker. The pedals feature a tortoise on the brake and a rabbit on the accelerator, and the sound sounds for the horn and motor are taken from an ancient two-cylinder engine.

Citroën’s Xavier Chardon explains that the goal is to recreate the original’s simplicity and flexibility, without just imitating it. There are several markings on the windshield that indicate the first year of manufacturing was 48, the last year was 90, and the concept first appeared in 26. They’ve tried to maintain the body sections flat and separate to make future assembly and repairs easier. Citroën plans to release the final automobile in late 2028, possibly coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the original model’s introduction in Paris.