New Citroën 2CV wows in Paris – and is coming in 2028

By Ryan Standen

| 13 Oct 2026

Classic & Sports Car – The Citroën 2CV is back – and it can carry a basket of eggs!

It’s official: Citroën is bringing back its legendary 2CV.

The reimagined Deux Chevaux was unveiled last Sunday (11 October) in concept form at the 2026 Paris motor show, which is being held at the capital city’s Expo Porte de Versailles from 12-18 October.

What’s more, the French car manufacturer has confirmed that a production version will be ready by 2028, which will be exactly 80 years since the original Citroën 2CV first left the factory.

This battery-powered reinterpretation for the 21st century has been conceived to buck the trend for large, heavy EVs.

And Citroën will hope it is as popular as its iconic predecessor which sold a massive 5,114,969 units across its lifetime.

The new Citroën 2CV concept’s cabin is bright and peppered with retro references

The original Citroën 2CV was revealed at the 1948 Paris motor show.

However, the ‘TPV’ (‘Toute Petite Voiture’, or ‘very small car’) project began in 1936, before the Second World War put plans on hold.

Indeed, 250 pre-production models were going to be revealed at the 1939 Paris motor show but, in the end, all but four were destroyed.

Citroën’s eye-catching 2026 2CV concept car takes a lot of design inspiration from the humble, classic and much-loved ‘tin snail’.

For a start, the exterior design mimics the profile of the rugged, post-war pioneer, which was created as basic transport for French farmers.

The new Citroën 2CV’s egg compartment pays tribute to one of the original car’s requirements

Pierre Boulanger, who served as Citroën’s chief from the 1930s until his death in 1950, said that the 2CV should be able to take a basket of eggs across a ploughed field without breaking any.

The new show car pays tribute to its predecessor’s very specific purpose with egg-storage compartments in its doors.

Other retro features include the TPV-inspired bonnet creases, air vents below the windscreen and steel wheels.

The original 2CV was a revolutionary car, and proved to be versatile, affordable and hugely popular, which are all things Citroën hopes to repeat come 2028 – can the newcomer hope to reignite that same spirit of invention?

Citroën has partnered with Michelin for its 2CV concept

Of course, there are 21st-century touches, too.

The Citroën 2CV concept’s 19in rims are wrapped in Michelin tyres, which feature their maker’s name in a script similar to that used in the 1940s, as well as the car manufacturer’s famous chevrons.

Michelin has developed a ‘digital twin’ of each tyre, enabling the car to ‘adapt its behaviour to its environment and to monitor the condition of the tyres continuously’.

Inside, the Paris motor show star has a removable, wicker-style basket in place of a traditional centre console, a radio that doubles as a portable speaker, a single-spoke steering wheel that echoes those used in classic models including the DS and Ami, plus a gear selector that imitates the original 2CV’s ‘umbrella-handle’ lever.

Classic Citroën 2CV owners might recognise this style of gearlever

There’s detail in the dashboard and door cards, too, their texture bringing to mind more wickerwork.

There is even a 2026 reinterpretation of the classic Citroën 2CV’s deckchair-style front seats in this concept car, which can be removed for use outside.

The materials are a throwback, too, with the steering wheel, the dashboard and the stereo being made of a material reminiscent of Bakelite.

And there are also playful touches: the noise of the horn and the electric motor upon start-up apparently sound like a classic 2CV and, if you look closely, you’ll see the brake pedal has a tortoise on it, the accelerator a rabbit.

From the rear, could this concept be anything other than a Citroën 2CV?

This is all topped by a fabric sunroof, another reference to the model’s classic predecessor.

The Citroën 2CV concept stands a mere 3.76m (12⅓ft) long, making it even shorter than the 1948 original, which is quite some feat.

It’s not been confirmed how many of these details will return for the roadgoing version and the 2028 production car will be designed to comply with the EU’s planned E-car regulations, a new class of small electric vehicles.

But it will be light, tipping the scales at around 1000kg (2205lb), as well as affordable; the starting price is expected to be approximately €15,000 (c£12,700).

Images: Citroën

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