Citroen is reviving one of the most beloved names in motoring. The 2CV is coming back, and this time the tin snail runs on electrons.
An Icon, Reimagined
The original 2CV put post-war France on wheels with cheapness, simplicity and charm. Citroen says the new one chases the same values, just for the electric age.
The original sold for four decades and more than nine million found homes, proof that cheap and characterful is a winning formula. Getting the look right matters as much as the price.
A close-to-production prototype lands at the Paris Motor Show this autumn. Expect the classic cues to survive: round headlights, flared arches and that arched roofline.
The Price Is the Point
The headline is the target sticker, under 15,000 euros. In a market where most new EVs cost double that, an affordable Citroen with a famous badge is a serious play.
Cheap EVs are the industry's missing piece. Buyers keep saying they want one, yet most electric cars still launch at premium money.
It slots between the tiny Ami quadricycle and the e-C3 supermini, lining up squarely against the new Renault Twingo.
How They Keep It Cheap
The car uses Stellantis' low-cost Smart Car platform, the same base as the latest C3. Sharing engineering across brands is how the price stays down.
Shared parts also mean easier servicing and cheaper repairs down the line. For a true people's car, running costs matter as much as the sticker.
It will be built at Pomigliano d'Arco in Italy, the plant that already makes the Fiat Panda. Local production helps dodge import costs and tariffs.
The Catch
Autumn brings the concept, but the production car is not due until around 2028. So this is a promise, not a showroom arrival just yet.
There is risk in trading on a legend. Get it wrong and the purists revolt, but get it right and Citroen has a genuine icon for a new era.
Still, an electric 2CV for the price of a city runabout is exactly the kind of cheap, characterful EV the market has been missing.
For now the promise is tantalising. An electric tin snail that ordinary people can actually afford is exactly the kind of car the industry keeps forgetting to build.
