It’s official: Citroën is bringing back its 2CV.
The reimagined Deux Chevaux was unveiled today (11 October) in concept form at the 2026 Paris motor show – and the French car maker has confirmed a production version will be ready by 2028, which will be exactly 80 years since the original first left the factory.
This battery-powered reinterpretation has been conceived to buck the trend for large, heavy EVs.
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.
And its maker’s 2026 concept car takes plenty of cues 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.
Citroën has partnered with Michelin for its 2CV concept
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.
There’s detail in the dashboard and door cards, too, their texture bringing to mind more wickerwork.
Classic Citroën 2CV owners might recognise this style of gearlever
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.
This is all topped by a fabric sunroof.
From the rear, could this concept be anything other than a Citroën 2CV?
The Citroën 2CV concept is just 3.76m long, making it shorter than the 1948 original.
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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1948’s game changers: Citroën 2CV
