Citroen has confirmed what has long been rumoured - that it's working on a modern-day spiritual successor to the original 2CV. The plan is that, like the original, this new electric car will provide low-cost motoring for those on a budget.
Will this new car look like an original 2Cv?
It seems so, or a bit at least. Citroen has noted Renault's recent successes with reviving classic designs, and the single occluded image so far released seems to show a gently curved roof and headlights that almost sit proud of the bodywork (although their square shape looks more like a later Dyane than a 2CV…).
How cheap is it going to be?
Well, we don't have pricing or anything yet, but the whole idea is that the new 2CV will be based on the EU's new 'E-Car' legislation. This legislation, aimed at encouraging more affordable electric car production in Europe, will have fewer requirements for expensive electronic safety systems, which should allow cars to be made, and therefore sold, more cheaply.
The aim, though, is to have an on-sale price of less than. €17,000.
Citroen will save more cash by pairing this new 2CV's production with a new Fiat Panda (as distinct from the recently-launched Grande Panda), and both cars will be built in the Alfa Romeo factory in Pomigliano, near Naples (once home of the Alfasud - today it makes the Tonale).
When does this new 2CV arrive?
That's still TBC but probably in 2028, and we should see a concept version of this new 2CV at the Paris motor show in October. Citroen is planning at least six other new models by 2030 as part of the wider Stellantis Group's new 'FaSTLAne' strategic plan.
Citroen boss Xavier Chardon said: "Reinventing the 2CV of tomorrow is a huge challenge and responsibility. The original 2CV was never created to become an icon. It became one because it gave people freedom. The new 2CV will carry that same spirit forward - not through nostalgia, but by reinventing its simplicity and accessibility for today's world. Electric. Essential. Affordable. Human. Just like the original once democratised mobility, the new 2CV will re-enchant electric mobility for a new generation through a highly desirable model. The return of the 2CV is not simply the return of a legendary name. It is the return of a bold and optimistic idea of progress. A profoundly Citroen idea."