I’ve been very excited about the re-imagined Citroën 2CV ever since Citroën started teasing images of the car, in varying levels of detail, starting from this summer. I’ve been excited to hear that the car is intended to fit the spirit of the original 2CV (you can read that as affordable) and not just be a retro, nostalgia-flavored cash grab. Well, yesterday the full new 2CV concept was revealed at the Paris Motor Show, and I’m happy to say I think Citroën did a damn good job of translating the archaic 2CV into a modern design vocabulary. It’s not perfect, but who among us is?
I should probably disclose that I myself am an original, old school, all-of-29-horsepower 2CV owner and driver, so I may be inclined to be a bit more of a stickler about a new 2CV maintaining if not all of the details, then as much of the charm and character of the original 2CV as possible. I actually find myself a bit surprised to find that I think Citroën has managed to do just that.
There’s a quote in Citroën’s press release from Xavier Chardon, CEO of Citroën, that I think gets the idea across pretty well:
“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. With the 2 CV Concept, we’re bringing that spirit into today’s world to make electric mobility simpler, more human and more desirable. The world has changed. But the idea remains the same: to make life more beautiful with Citroën.”
If the focuses of this car were simplicity, accessibility, and freedom, then I think those are all excellent concepts to work with, and I think the design of this reconsidered 2CV manages to express those pretty well. Let’s take a deeper look at this thing.
In profile, it’s a bit shorter than the original car, and the proportions are a bit different; they’ve been modernized a bit, the greenhouse a bit less tall, the hood less long, the beltline a bit higher, and the window graphic changed to eliminate the B-pillar. It’s almost like a cartoon version of a 2CV, which is saying something.
The fenders still have the illusion of being separate pieces, even though they’re actually part of other body panel stampings in the concept car. That makes sense from a production standpoint, as cars haven’t had separate fenders like the 2cv has for, well, decades. The one significant misstep design-wise that I can see has to do with the fenders. Specifically, the rear fenders:
The issue is that one of the key – possibly even crucial – design elements of the 2CV is the rear skirted fenders. There’s something about the way they look that just complete’s the 2CV’s distinctive look and differentiates its silhouette from other cars. For example, with some detail changes, one could almost turn the overall shape of the 2CV concept into a new-new-new Beetle concept. But once you skirt those rear fenders, it’s unmistakably a 2CV. Here, look – I had the Bishop quickly mock up a fender skirted 2CV concept:
That’s so much better! And it would have been trivial for Citroën to do! I have no idea why they didn’t. I suspect that should this car make it to production – and I hope it will – the aftermarket will pick up the slack to correct this misstep.
Otherwise, I’m really quite taken with this updated 2CV look. The large, separate headlights have been retained, with a shape that is somehow both round and rectangular, covering all the types of 2CV headlights, and the turn indicator has been integrated into the headlight unit in a way that I think suggests the old car’s headlight tab that was used to open the lamp to change the bulb; it’s the little tab in the center (I think):
The rear of the car also has a lot of very direct old 2CV design quotes, including the black color, which suggests the very early cars that used a canvas rear trunk lid, but also has a physical trunk lid with the same three embossed thin vertical thin rectangles in the center, and a T-shaped trunk lid handle:
The off-center license plate is reminiscent of really early 2CVs also, though those thin taillights aren’t really anything close to what 2CVs have had in the past. 2CVs had low-mounted taillights, and I’m a little surprised not to see lights integrated into that ribbed lower panel.
Speaking of ribbed, not only does the hood have the 2CV’s trademark ribs, but this new one also has opening air vent flaps right there on the cowl, just like the original did. Here there’s multiple smaller ones instead of one full-length air flap like on the original.
I do very much appreciate this detail, that scalloped intaglio scooped-out area under the hood and on the between-hood-and-fenders filler panels of the original car. They really help sell the deux cheveauxitude of the car.
It’s also worth pointing out those stainless steel-looking bumpers which feel a bit like the old car’s bumpers and are quite different from the essentially non-existent bumpers of modern cars, which tend to be painted plastic caps on either end of the car. These bumpers actually seem like they may be useful for protecting the painted body panels from damage, and the press release seems to confirm not just that, but that they are, in fact, separate pieces designed to be easily replacable:
“Innovation isn’t always about adding features; it’s also about simplifying. Design choices that also take into account mass production and ease of repair: flat surfaces and direct air intakes beneath the windscreen, bumpers separated from the bodywork and replaceable independently…”
I love hearing that from a major automaker.
The C-panel-mounted indicator repeater is a nice touch, especially since the design is based on the pre-’65 versions with no third side window, and those door handles are charmingly close to the original. But when it comes to this car’s real charm, I think the interior is absolutely laden with it:
Look at that! The 2CV’s lawn chair-style seats inspired these much more padded looking seats, and the tartan plaid pattern was absolutely an original 2CV affectation. There’s the flat floor of the original car, and looking at that floor reveals a little latch on the driver’s bench support, which makes me wonder if this seat is designed to be as easy to remove as the orginal car’s seats.
And look at the string of lights! Is that standard?
The dash captures the unrelenting simplicity of the old car, but makes it all a lot cheerier. The strange umbrella handle shifter is still there, the steering wheel has one spoke, just like Citroën likes, and that radio unit is removable and can be used outside of the car. The center console there – something that was absent in most 2CVs – is made to look like a charming picnic basket.
There’s a strip right under the windshield that has most of the instruments displayed on it, and a center-stack screen, which seems to have a nearly square aspect ratio, is where the rest of your controls are, and it seems to have three knobs that can be re-configured by software. The UX shown on the concept car seems inspired by Hergé’s Tintin comics, which do have a 2CV tie-in.
The roll-back fabric roof of the OG 2CV has been retained, too, to my delight, and also delighting me are the facts that the press release claims efforts will be taken to keep the car light, and, more importantly, cheap: the target price is 15,000 Euros, which comes to about $16,800 American Freedom Eagle All-Beef dollars. That’s fantastic.
There’s no specs given yet on horsepower or range, though I can make some guesses? I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a front-mounted motor driving the front wheels and making about 115 hp, and a range of, oh, let’s say 225 to 250. I’m just speculating, of course, but I would not be shocked if the production car, planned to come out in 2028, has specs close to those.
I’m very excited about this car. Other than the lack of a skirted rear wheel, I think Citroën has done a fabulous job dragging the 2CV into this modern Electric Age, and I appreciate how much they seem to be trying to keep to the original car’s goals of being cheap and charming, rugged and useful, acceptable and classless transportation for everyone.
Will the production version live up to these lofty yet humble goals? Will it really be able to be sold that cheaply? I sure hope so. I guess we’ll just have to see.
Hating the tablet on the weird mount, but the rest looks fun.
Bring back fun cars.
Fewer angry cars.
Wow, Citroën doing a retro design – they’ve been steadfast in always moving forward and not ‘reinventing’ their past. I like this New-CV but are we going to see New-DS and New-GTI just to differentiate from Chinese EVs?
I would also change the wheels. As with every modern car, they are too big, too much rim, too little rubber for my comfort. But I am very much alone with my stance.