a new Citroën 2 CV arrives

The rumors started months ago but it was not until this morning that Stellantis confirmed the return of the Citroën 2 CV. The automotive conglomerate has barely given details of the launch and has only scheduled us for October 2026 when they will reveal more information at the Paris Motor Show.

The information also comes one day after the company presents its future plans for the coming years. One that has put Citroën at the center of its strategy for Europe.

The confirmation. Our colleagues pointed out Motorpassion Last January, Citroën was preparing the return of the Citroën 2 CV. It was information that seemed almost confirmed after Coach They will speak with the French design team. Now it is Stellantis itself that has ended up revealing the project.

In its statement, Citroën tells us that it will not be until October when we will have new news but it does give some interesting clues about what we can expect from this new Citroën 2 CV.

A new category. In the press release, Stellantis points out that this new vehicle is “designed to meet the challenges of electric mobility and new urban regulations, it will contribute to the emergence of a new category of affordable small electric vehicles, which offer greater freedom of movement without giving up personality or attractiveness.”

Everything seems to indicate that Stellantis wants to fully enter what is known as E-Car, a new category that is yet to be fully defined. The intention of the European regulators is that, in the style of the kei car Japanese, we have more affordable electric cars available. The idea is to have an intermediate category between the heavy quadricycle and the tourism, limited to 4.1 meters long.

It has been spokenfor example, to make some regulations more flexible such as current security requirements or to give an outlet to the new license at 17 years old to drive “light” cars before making the jump to the current B1 license that allows driving cars with a maximum authorized mass of up to 3,500 kg. It has also been put on the table that manufacturing will have to be European or, at least, a relevant part of its components, such as batteries.

Gasoline? This reference to the supposed new European category raises the question of whether the next Citroën 2 CV will have gasoline versions or will be purely electric. In recent years, Stellantis has opted for multi-energy platforms but we must remember that From 2027 emissions limits will be tightened and selling small cars with combustion engines will be much more expensive.

Putting an electric car on the road with reduced dimensions and price will allow Citroën to reduce global emissions within the company. However, registering cars with a combustion engine would lead you to have to redouble your electric sales efforts, which may not compensate.

Nor is it a coincidence that the statement mentions that the new 2 CV is “designed to make mobility accessible to everyone (…) in a world that seeks, once again, more accessible and relevant mobility solutions.” That “relevant” seems to underline the idea of ​​the path that Europe has taken towards zero emissions in its cities.

Exploiting nostalgia. The Citroën 2 CV is another example of how the automobile industry seems to have remained anchored in nostalgia, although Stellantis tries to distance itself by ensuring that the new model will be “inspired by the spirit of the original, and not by nostalgia.”

The truth is that The electric car has brought a certain flavor of the past to try to convince us to jump to a technology that, purely irrational, is not as attractive as the combustion engine. The Renault 4 and Renault 5 They are a good example but it has also been put on the table bring back the Opel Manta in electric format and Volkswagen has readapted its legendary Transporter to the ID. Buzz.

And it makes sense. It must be taken into account that an electric car, especially in the city, has many advantages over a combustion car. Matching technologies, electric has lower energy consumption than combustion in a city. Its cost is very lower and the risk of breakdown is also lower. And although savings are always a good incentive to buy a car, it is also a less attractive purchase argument when it comes to exciting the customer.

Because when it comes to buying a car, the irrational still weighs heavily. It is no coincidence that car advertisements continue to appeal to emotions. Aesthetics weigh heavily in this and a good reinterpretation like Renault’s can be key to attracting the public that has money right now. That is to say, those who can miss the most the Renault 4, the Renault 5 or the Citroën 2 CV.

Stellantis’ plans. Stellantis’ move also fits perfectly with what was announced yesterday by Antonio Filosa, its CEO after the departure of Carlos Tavares. The automobile conglomerate pointed out that iThey will invest 60 billion euros until 2030 and pointed to a multipolarized future where the strategy for the United States will distance itself from the European one.

This will be carried out through a reorganization of its 14 brands. Dodge and Jeep will set the pace in the United States and in Europe Fiat and Peugeot will do so. These two companies are clearly segmented by price and everything indicates that they will be the first to launch models on the market and then reach other companies with modified body formats.

With these first steps it seems that Citroën will be focused on being the most affordable company, the gateway to the conglomerate to differentiate itself a little from Fiat, which has also targeted the low-end range in recent years. The new vehicle also seems to allow them to compete at a much lower price than the Renault 5 to steal sales, an electric urban car that, on the contrary, has focused on the details in a car designed with great care.

Photo | Citroen

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