Citroen revives the 2CV as an electric city car concept targeting sub-€15,000 sales from 2028

A concept reveal on the eve of the Paris motor show

Citroen has unveiled a preview concept for an all-electric revival of its 2CV, revealed on the eve of the 2026 Paris motor show and timed almost exactly 80 years after the original 2CV debuted at the 1948 Paris show. The company describes the new car as an 'electric, minimalist, affordable, compact and ingenious' vehicle designed to make everyday journeys fun again, and says the name will be reborn while staying true to the 2CV's principles. ¹³

The Daily Mail reports Citroen boss Xavier Chardon as saying the revival is 'about reinventing what made it unique: its simplicity, its accessibility and the freedom it offered'. Chardon described the new car to the BBC as 'a modern, ingenious and refreshing response to the mobility challenges of tomorrow', and Citroen has framed the project as 'not by nostalgia but by a contemporary reinterpretation of simplicity and accessibility', with the credo 'Electric. Essential. Affordable. Human.' ²³⁴

As a concept car intended to show Citroen's direction of travel, the vehicle is not yet ready for sale, but the plan reported by the BBC is to have a version in showrooms by 2028. Citroen says the design incorporates 'all the hallmarks and charm' of the original while applying the spirit of the 1948 car to today's buyers rather than trading on nostalgia for its own sake. ²¹

Retro cues and a deliberately simple interior

The 2CV Concept is 3.76 metres long, fractionally shorter than its predecessor, and Citroen is targeting a kerb weight of around one tonne — a figure that, if achieved, would make the production car one of the lightest EVs available. Chasing Cars notes the concept has no rear wheelarch covers, but brims with retro cues including protruding headlights, 18-inch stainless-steel wheel rims, and a black fabric sunroof blending into a darkened rear window and black rear section. ¹

Chasing Cars reports the interior is finished in bright-yellow materials extending to a tartan front bench seat in place of separate seating, along with a removable Bluetooth audio player, a picnic-basket-style centre console, a thick single-spoke steering wheel, and a 'phygical' touchscreen. Nods to the original include a horizontal 'umbrella handle' gearlever and small round pedals carrying a tortoise on the brake and a rabbit on the accelerator. ¹

Further concept details reported by the Daily Mail include round eye-shaped LED headlamps above bulbous wheelarches, a roll-back fabric roof, removable bumpers intended to be replaced easily after minor knocks, an eight-inch infotainment display in a cylindrical housing behind the single-spoke wheel, a removable radio in place of door speakers, and a storage compartment designed to carry eggs — a direct homage to the original car's development brief. The Daily Mail notes the string lights illuminating the fabric roof may not carry over to the production version, and that industry insiders believe the production model will stay remarkably close to the concept. ³

In Europe the 2CV will be positioned between the Ami quadricycle and the C3, according to Chasing Cars. Carscoops reports Citroen did not disclose technical specifications for the concept beyond confirming the fully electric powertrain, and that the model is expected to ride on a bespoke platform designed under upcoming European Union regulations for affordable EVs — underpinnings that will reportedly be shared with an upcoming Fiat model. ¹⁵

Targeted price and availability, with much still unconfirmed

Citroen is targeting a price tag of €15,000 as it aims to replicate the affordability of the original car, Chasing Cars reports, which converts to about $24,000 in Australian dollars. The Daily Mail reports an expected starting price of less than €15,000, which could translate to under £13,000 in Britain, while Carscoops quotes Chardon saying the production model should be priced from under €15,000 before subsidies. ¹³⁵

Important qualifications apply. Heise reports that Citroen has not provided any concrete technical specifications on battery capacity, range, performance or weight, and that media speculation about a sub-€15,000 price, a 2028 market launch and a production site at Pomigliano d'Arco in Italy has not been confirmed by Stellantis. The russpain.com report cites the Pomigliano plant — where the hybrid Fiat Panda is built — as the planned production location, but presents it as planned rather than confirmed. ⁴⁶

The Daily Mail reports the new model is expected to qualify for Europe's proposed M1E Class category for electric vehicles under 4.2 metres in length, which would let it avoid classification as a light quadricycle and offer a driving range of around 150 miles. However, those regulations are still being finalised, and russpain.com notes several sources point out the M1E category is not yet official and has not been used in type certification, so its practical effect on the 2CV's launch remains unknown. ³⁶

Chasing Cars also notes that buyer incentives for cheaper, smaller cars are expected in Europe in coming years, which may support the affordability push. The Affordable-EV strategy sits within Stellantis' FaSTLAne 2030 plan, announced alongside a five-year investment program of €60 billion, with the group explicitly focused on affordable electric vehicles for the European market, according to Heise. ¹⁴

History and heritage as a sales weapon

The original 2CV launched in 1948 as Europe recovered from World War Two, designed as a cheap, robust transport for French farmers and country dwellers, with soft suspension allowing it to cross a ploughed field — as legend has it — without breaking a tray of eggs, the BBC reports. It remained in production for more than 40 years until 1990. The Daily Mail puts total sales at more than 5.1 million examples worldwide, including 1.2 million vans, rising beyond nine million vehicles when related models such as the Ami, Dyane and Mehari are included. ²³

The revival places Citroen in a fast-growing European retro-futuristic wave, led by Renault with the 5 E-Tech, 4 and Twingo revivals, alongside VW's ID Buzz and Fiat's long-running retro 500, the BBC reports. Autocar senior editor Rachel Burgess told the BBC the strategy is 'a brilliant differentiator from all-new car brands', appealing both to older buyers who remember the originals and younger buyers drawn to the retro aspect. David Leggett of Global Data told the BBC that European carmakers face a serious competitive threat from Chinese manufacturers, while automotive researcher Dr Paul Nieuwenhuis argued that linking European designs to their history is something the Chinese brands cannot replicate. ²

Carscoops notes the 2CV's return was officially confirmed earlier in 2026 following years of rumours often dismissed by the company, and that when it goes on sale it will compete in Europe's ultra-affordable EV segment alongside rivals such as the Dacia Spring, BYD Dolphin Surf, Renault Twingo and the upcoming VW ID. Up. Heise reports Citroen will present further details at the Paris Motor Show in October 2026, and Carscoops adds that Citroen will also unveil a second, as-yet-undescribed surprise concept at the same event. ⁵⁴

No Australian return on the table

For Australian readers the interest is largely distant for now: Chasing Cars points out that Citroen was axed in Australia at the end of 2024, so there is no current local retail network to take the revived 2CV, and no announcement has been made about Australian availability. Any right-hand-drive prospects or local pricing remain unknown. ¹