There’s a critical lack of cheap new cars that are proud to be inexpensive these days. Everything’s aspirational, soft-touch, and as a result, expensive. However, as subcompact cars continue to disappear in America, they’re having a resurgence in Europe. Some 36 years after the original completed its illustrious 42-year lifespan, the Citroën 2CV is coming back.
Even though the original Citroën 2CV only made about 29 horsepower at most and was known for seemingly infinite body roll, it holds a special place in my heart. Designed with the brief of serving as an umbrella on four wheels and with a mission of cheap running costs and excellent ride comfort, it survived war and rationing and a near-decade-long delay to become a legend of post-war motoring. With its flip-up windows, canvas roof, and garden furniture seats, the 2CV was a tremendous expression of utilitarianism. This cheap, originally corrugated machine did exactly what it said on the tin, helped put France on wheels, and became a style icon in its own right.
Perhaps best of all, despite being bathed in austerity, the 2CV was still weird. It had an air-cooled engine at the front, a shifter that came out of the dashboard, and just three nuts holding on each wheel. Its interlinked suspension was genius, with horizontal coil springs connecting the leading and trailing arms on each side to offer a sort of fore-and-aft anti-pitch function. The van variant looked like it had reversed into a shed, the four-wheel-drive variant simply bunged another engine in the back, it was all so much charm in an affordable package. Jason owns one and I totally see why.
Today, Citroën isn’t as weird as it used to be. The marque hasn’t produced a grand hydropneumatically-suspended sedan in more than 13 years, and the funky door ding-mitigating air bumps on older models like the C4 Cactus have disappeared from the range. The Ami quadricycle still flies the flag, but for those who want more than eight horsepower or a top speed above 25 MPH, Citroën doesn’t make anything else that lets its freak flag fly. That’s about to change with the new 2CV.
Although all we have is a dim teaser photo, the resemblance is undeniable. From the proud round headlamps to the silhouette to the fenders, this is a modern interpretation of a 2CV and it seems to be doing things right. I mean, just look at the giant Citroën emblem on the nose, an unmistakable nod to early 2CV models. However, while the original 2CV featured an air-cooled flat-twin, the new 2CV is going electric.
[Editor’s Note: I’m so excited about this. I think what makes me most excited is that, unlike other recent rebirths of iconic old cars, like Volkswagen’s ID.Buzz, this new 2CV is keeping to the original mission of the car: cheap, basic, usable transportation. It’s hard to see what’s going on in this teaser, but I like generally what I see. It does look like that rear wheel is no longer skirted? You’d think in an EV you’d want that. I can’t wait to learn more. – JT]
Understandably, you can expect modest specifications from the new 2CV. While Citroën hasn’t said what range, maximum DC fast charging kW, or horsepower will be, it’s given the world the most important figure: The expected price. We’re talking an electric car built in Europe with a target price under €15,000. That’s under $17,500 at current conversion rates, and that’s including value added tax. Best of all, we won’t have to wait long to see what the new 2CV looks like. If everything goes according to plan, expect a reveal this October at the Paris Motor Show. Oh yeah, this is looking good.
Top graphic image: Citroën, Jason Torchinsky
So this brings the number of retro cars that fulfill the original’s mission up to two, unless I’m missing something. The Beetle and Mini were/are more of a fashion statement than cheap and cheerful transportation. Fiat got it right with the 500, for a while it was one of the cheapest cars you could buy in the US. Although I suspect that whatever it was based on was the cheaper option in Europe.
Time for a condo or apartment in France.
Chinese can sell a panda car for $5.5k. Sell a modern 2cv at about 3x why not. Good to see. LFP is cheap enough they should be able to get around 25-30kwh. But I have a feeling it will be less. Maybe 13 to 21 kwh.
Another speculative future Stellantis vehicle article, but finally for something that’s (of course) both interesting and likely unobtainable for the next 25 years to us Americans.
Curious if a 25 year old EV will even be a thing.
I don’t see why it wouldn’t.
Cars becoming increasingly complicated, connected and disposable coupled with battery degradation, electrical fire risk and the tendency to just brick.
Maybe that problem won’t be an issue for cars made in 2050. But for any EV made in the past 15 years, it is.
I think it could be like the retro electronic people. With enough known fixes / component swaps. Maybe. The high nickel batteries show ok signs now and LFP suppose to be better, sodium even longer.
But 3rd party pack remans are starting to be a thing. Plus there are some specialists rebuilding and repowering vehicles and packs if they cant source a good one. Much like what happened with hybrid batteries. Prius and insights are running around after 25 years with new or rebuilt batteries.
Damn sure its gone come with cost-saving capactive buttons and a “hidden” rear door handle
Buttons?
For what?
It’s unlikely to have a heater, much less a radio…
You’ll at least need a button to squirt water for the windshield vipers, one for the choke and a button to tilt the headlights
yes, those vipers will definately get thirsty protecting your ride! Genuis french security system.
But will the new one pass the egg test?
I’m really excited to see what they’ve been cooking as well. Citroen has been pretty bland this past decade, especially here in Brazil.
Whoa whoa whoa. Hundy, my man, I know he stepped in for a little editorial comment, but discussions of the 2CV is firmly in Torch’s lane. Let’s keep to our respective lanes, right?
I mean, next thing we know, Mercedes is gonna wax poetic about taillights, Uncle Adrian is gonna be going on about the newest broken bus he’s bought, and DT is gonna be inflicting his engineer quality artwork on us and insisting it’s what could have been if Plymouth hadn’t been shuttered!
Let the weirdness flow from defined, known sources!
The US legacy automakers could have been doing this in the USA, for decades. I like that Citroen has figured this out for Europe, and I think the new 2CV will be a tremendous success at that price point, much like the original. The writing is on the wall regarding the global economy and working peoples’ budgets, and it is thinking ahead like this that will allow an automaker to survive what could be some very lean times. There shouldn’t be any tax-funded bailouts for those automakers who deliberately choose not to make EVs which working people can actually afford without some monstrous payment plan.