Citroen is preparing to unveil a fully electric concept car that revives the spirit of the legendary 2CV, with a production version expected to reach showrooms in 2028 at a starting price below €15,000. The French automaker will present the concept at the Paris Motor Show on October 11, marking the return of a nameplate that has been absent from the market for 36 years.
The new 2CV will be positioned as an affordable urban electric vehicle, smaller than the Citroen C3 subcompact crossover and effectively serving as a replacement for the discontinued C1 and C2 city cars. According to Citroen, the concept «revives an icon of the brand and brings the spirit of the 2 CV into the modern world to make mobility simpler, more accessible, more human and more desirable.»
Teaser images released on Citroen's social media channels one week before the unveiling show design cues that echo the original 2CV, including a grooved hood, semi-circular LED headlights protruding from bulbous fenders, retro door handles and wheels, and indicators mounted on the C-pillar. An earlier teaser suggested the new model will adopt a silhouette similar to its predecessor and feature an illuminated double-chevron emblem on its nose. Citroen Design Director Pierre Leclercq shared some of the teasers on his own profile with the caption «exciting time».
The production 2CV is expected to ride on a bespoke platform designed under upcoming European Union regulations for affordable electric vehicles. The same underpinnings will reportedly be used by an upcoming Fiat model, continuing the tradition of platform sharing between the two Stellantis brands, as seen with the smaller Citroen Ami and Fiat Topolino, and the larger Citroen C3 and Fiat Grande Panda.
Citroen CEO Xavier Chardon confirmed in interviews earlier this year that the production model should be priced from under €15,000 before subsidies, which would make it the most affordable car in Citroen's lineup. The even cheaper Ami is classified as a heavy quadricycle rather than a passenger car, so the new 2CV would undercut traditional A-segment hatchbacks such as the Renault Twingo, Dacia Spring, and the upcoming Volkswagen ID. Up. It will also face competition from the Nissan Pixo, Honda Super-N, and BYD Dolphin Surf.
The original Citroen 2CV made its debut at the 1948 Paris Motor Show, though its brief was drafted in the 1930s. Nicknamed the «Tin Snail» and the «umbrella on wheels,» it was engineered to carry two farmers, a 50 kg sack of potatoes, or a basket of eggs across a ploughed field at 60 km/h without breaking a single shell. Over a 42-year production run, the model received numerous updates but retained its signature shape and unique interconnected suspension setup. By the time the final example left the factory in 1990, Citroen had produced 5.1 million units worldwide.
The return of the 2CV was officially confirmed earlier in 2026 following years of rumours and speculation that the company had often dismissed. It joins other modern reinterpretations of iconic designs from the past, such as the rival Fiat 500 and the discontinued Volkswagen Beetle.
Besides the 2CV concept, Citroen will unveil another concept in Paris described as «a surprise that will set visitors' hearts beating.» The brand's stand will also feature the C3 Aircross Marine Nationale Concept, the new Outdoor lineup comprising the Ami, C3, and C3 Aircross, the Collection series of C3, C3 Aircross, and C4, the C5 Aircross Emeraude special edition, and the GEN4 Formula E racer.