France's Retro EV Takes The Battle to Cheap Chinese Rivals
The Citroen 2 CV Concept resurrects a famous 90-year-old design to create a minimalist ultra-affordable electric car.
The new 2 CV is aimed at overturning the trend toward heavier, complex crossovers and is already slated for a 2028 market launch with a head-turning target starting price of just €15,000 (roughly US$16,400).
Like the original depression-era 2CV that had a single headlamp and fold-down windows, the new car showcases some extreme cost-cutting design. The core detail is that the 2 CV Concept has a curb weight of under a metric ton (2,204 lb), remarkably low for a modern electric vehicle.
Inside, the cabin is about bare functionalism. There is no traditional dashboard as the steering wheel and simple instrument cluster are mounted on the steering column, along with a basic 8-inch touchscreen. Tubular-frame seats can be completely unlatched and removed for picnics.
Click to enlarge | Credit: Stellantis
Slotting between the microscopic Ami quadricycle (which cost less than a mobile phone contract) and e-C3 supermini, Citroen says this European-built concept is already close to a production car. With a range of about 100 miles, the new 2 CV is unlikely to prove popular outside European cities, but this vehicle is probably best viewed as a live experiment by the automaker to determine if heritage design and a clever, minimalist structural layout can counter foreign supply-chain advantages. It is a strategic blueprint that American automakers - currently struggling to build a truly affordable, entry-level EV - will be watching closely from across the Atlantic.
