Citroën 2CV to return

| 23 Jan 2025
Classic & Sports Car – Citroën 2CV to return

The Citroën 2CV is set to make a comeback as a retro-inspired city car, as exclusively revealed by Autocar, Classic & Sports Car’s fellow Haymarket title.

Despite previous refusals, the firm has possibly been tempted to reconsider reinventing the classic model by the recent and very well-received reintroduction of the Renault 5.

The project is in its very early stages, a senior source confirmed.

Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time the marque has revived a classic nameplate, following the launch of the Citroën Ami in 2020.

Classic & Sports Car – Citroën 2CV to return
Classic & Sports Car – Citroën 2CV to return

The recently revealed, second-generation Citroën Ami (left) is quite a departure from its classic inspiration

The image at the top of this page is Autocar’s rendering, but it is believed that a 21st-century Citroën 2CV would likely take much of its aesthetic inspiration from its classic predecessor.

And, like the 1948 original, affordability, convenience and simplicity are expected to be key to this new model’s development.

At this year’s Brussels motor show, Citroën design boss Pierre Leclercq told Autocar he would not be drawn into publicly confirming the reincarnated 2CV, but he said the brand is “not closing the door” on retro designs.

He said: “The things you remember from Citroën is not especially that you want to redo the shape of the vehicles that have been good. But we’re not closing the door. But I think the philosophy is important.”

Classic & Sports Car – Citroën 2CV to return

This 1957 Citroën 2CV is an early, ‘ripple-bonnet’ example

Development of the original Citroën 2CV began before the Second World War, with the first of the Très Petite Voiture (TPV, or ‘very little car’) prototypes appearing in 1937.

While a lot changed between then and its 1948 debut at the Paris Salon, including from water- to air-cooling, and from an aluminium body to steel, that early work enabled the marque to present an all-new car very soon after the war – and one where no major component was shared with an existing model.

The 2CV was built from 1948 until 1990, one of the longest-ever production runs, and the model became an icon of French motoring and of the country itself, representing its innovative, intellectual approach to car design that is still loved and respected today. Quite an act to follow.

Classic & Sports Car – Citroën 2CV to return

The classic Citroën 2CV remains idiosyncratic, brilliant and fun

Unsurprisingly, a reborn 2CV will likely be electrically powered and, like its ancestor, it is not anticipated to be a high-performance model, efficiency being important, plus a smaller battery pack will help keep prices down.

So, when could this project become reality?

Given current production cycles and the Citroën 2CV’s forthcoming 80th anniversary in 2028, while there is no official news, it would be a neat coincidence to continue the model’s story at that year’s Paris motor show.

To read Autocar’s exclusive reveal, please click here.

Images: Autocar/Citroën/James Mann/Luc Lacey/Tony Baker


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