For reference, the similarly conceived Dacia Spring packs a 26.8kWh lithium ion pack, which gives a range of 140 miles and is key to it hitting a starting price of £14,995.
Although the Smart Car architecture can also support petrol and mild-hybrid powertrains, it is possible that the 2CV’s design could restrict it to a more compact electric set-up. The largest engine that Citroën ever fitted to the original car was a 602cc flat-twin petrol unit, abnormally small by modern standards and, with just 32bhp, much too impotent as well.
Indeed, Renault’s designers have said on many occasions that the new 5 could only have been an electric car. Fitting it with a petrol engine would have required a longer bonnet, compromising its snub-nosed proportions.
Either way, the new 2CV is expected to bridge the gap between the Ami and the C3, which are priced from £7695 and £17,990 respectively. That would thrust it into direct competition with the value-focused Spring (£14,995) and the Leapmotor T03 (£15,955) at the low end, but a new 2CV might also be a larger car than those rivals, undercutting the Renault 5 (£22,995).
There is no indication when a new 2CV might arrive, but a typical four-year development cycle would put it on track to be launched in 2028. Coincidentally, that year marks the 80th anniversary of the original car’s unveiling at the Paris motor show, as well as being the next staging of the biennial show after its return in 2026.