Citroën is bringing back the 2CV as a new small electric car, confirming the plans revealed exclusively by The Independent earlier this year.
In January, Citroën CEO Xavier Chardon told us that the French brand was studying the “success genes” of the much-loved 2CV for a new affordable electric model, with the Paris Motor Show in October tipped as the place where all would be revealed.
Now Citroën has officially confirmed a new electric car inspired by the spirit of the original 2CV, while Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa has gone even further at the group’s Investor Day.
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Explaining that customers and Citroën dealers had been calling for the return of the famous name, Filosa said: “Citroën will launch soon a 2CV.”
The new car is expected to cost around £15,000 and will form part of Stellantis’ newly announced E-Car project, which is being developed to bring back the sort of small, affordable cars that were once a familiar sight across Europe, but have become much harder to find as car prices have risen.
The “E” in E-Car stands for European, emotion, electric and environmental friendliness, with the first models expected to start production in 2028 at Stellantis’ Pomigliano plant in Italy, which has a long association with affordable cars including the Fiat Panda.
Stellantis says the new E-Cars will be built in Europe for European buyers and will be small, fully electric and aimed at easy, everyday urban driving. The company says several of its brands will offer E-Car models, with the revived Citroën 2CV now confirmed as one of them.
Filosa said: “The E-Car is a concept that finds its natural match in the small car success that runs deep in our European Stellantis DNA. Our customers are calling for a revival of small, stylish vehicles, proudly produced in Europe, which are also affordable and environmentally friendly. Stellantis is answering their call with exciting new models for multiple brands. Production is expected to start in 2028 in our Pomigliano (Italy) plant.”
Citroën is not yet saying exactly what the new 2CV will look like, how far it will travel on a charge or when it will arrive in showrooms. More details are expected at this October’s Paris Motor Show.
However, the company is clear that this will not simply be an electric remake of the old car. Instead, it says the newcomer will take the ingredients that made the original such a hit – simplicity, comfort, practicality, affordability and unmistakable character – and turn them into a small electric car for a new generation.
Chardon said:“Reinventing the 2 CV of tomorrow is a huge challenge and responsibility. The original 2 CV was never created to become an icon. It became one because it gave people freedom. The new 2 CV will carry that same spirit forward — not through nostalgia, but by reinventing its simplicity and accessibility for today’s world. Electric. Essential. Affordable. Human.”
The original 2CV was launched in 1948 as a simple and inexpensive car for everyday life, becoming one of Citroën’s best-known models. The new version will enter an increasingly busy market for affordable electric cars, with Renault already reviving the 5 and 4, and new small EVs coming from brands including Volkswagen and Kia.
Citroën already has the ë-C3 as its cheapest electric hatchback, including a lower-priced Urban Range version. The reborn electric 2CV is set to bring something rather more characterful – and cheaper – to the same simple, affordable end of the EV market.
