The 2CV returns - as an electric car
Fiat is doing it with the small 500, Renault with the R5, R4 and Twingo, and now Citroën is also entering the world of retro design and reviving the legendary 2CV. "The 2 CV is coming back," said Citroën boss Xavier Chardon, welcoming the old, new model and showing a short video of the new edition of the "duck", as the small car was known in Germany. However, the silhouette of the model is only vaguely recognizable in the clip.
"I'm really sorry," said a grinning Chardon to the French press, "but we photographed the vehicle in a tunnel. If you want to see it in the headlights, you are cordially invited to come to the Mondial de l'Auto in Paris in October." In Paris, Citroën will unveil the successor to the 2 CV, officially still disguised as a concept, on October 7, which, like its predecessor in 1948, will probably be one of the focal points of the show.
With the announcement of the model, the brand is performing a U-turn, as Chardon's predecessor, Thierry Koskas, had clearly rejected the trend towards retro design in an interview with Auto-Medienportal last year: "The idea behind the 2CV as an inexpensive entry-level model that offers customers mobility at a lower cost still exists unchanged at Citroën in the background. We already started with this concept with the current C3. Frankly, I'm not a big fan of retro design because I prefer to move forward with new ideas in our design as well. But the spirit embodied by the 2CV is still part of my brand's DNA."
So now a return to tradition after all, and a look at Renault will also have helped, where the electric retro models are doing very well on the electric model market. The new edition of the small car will use the new Stellantius e-car platform and will be launched on the market at a price of less than 15,000 euros. Later, the other Stellantis brands will also use this basis.
During development, the Group is using a completely new concept for Stellantis, which Renault has already used for the electric Twingo. The electric architecture is being developed in China, with production planned from 2028 at the Italian plant in Pomigliano d'Arco, where the Fiat Panda is currently manufactured. Later, production of the Fiat e-car is also planned at the factory near Naples. Despite the partnership with the Chinese partners Leapmotor and Dongfeng, the electric 2CV is intended to compete against the low-cost competitors from China.
In view of the low entry-level price, Chardon promises that the electric 2CV will "become a fully-fledged modern vehicle and democratize electric mobility." With the new edition, Citroën hopes to achieve similar success to Renault with its retro models and remains true to the concept of the original 2CV. In contrast to the retro models of its competitors, there will be no excess of screens or technical gadgets, French newspapers report. Instead, according to Chardon, the new model will be "a vehicle for real life" and thus continue the tradition of the 2CV presented in Paris in 1948 on a modern platform.
In the new Stellantis hierarchy, Citroën will take on the role of a "regional brand" together with Opel, while Peugeot, Jeep, Fiat and Ram are intended for the global markets. (aum)
More info for topic: Citrien , 2CV , Retrodesign
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