Citroën teases a modern 2CV ahead of Frankfurt debut
by Noah Joseph on Sep 8th 2009 at 8:26AM 
Citroën Frankfurt teaser – Click above to view in high-resolutionIf the show won't come to France, then France will go to the show. So while it may be Frankfurt's turn to host the alternating European car show this year while Paris sits this one out, that doesn't mean that French automakers haven't got a few tricks up their sleeves. Although we're still waiting to see what Bugatti has got in store for the Frankfurt show, Renault is coming with three new electric vehicles, Peugeot's using the venue to unveil the new 3008 HYBrid, 5008 and 308 RCZ, and Citroën has got the new C3 and its premium counterpart DS3 to show off. But the chevron-emblazoned PSA auto division has just released a teaser shot of yet another vehicle on the docket for unveiling in Frankfurt, and it could be the most interesting of them all.
Not much in the way of information accompanies the teaser you see above, but reports suggest this could be a new C1 or C2 hatchback. Bearing ties to the original, iconic 2CV that put Citroën on the map, the new show car isn't expected to form part of any other Citroen project currently under way, so we'll have to wait until the show to find out more. Check out a higher-res version of the image above by clicking on it, as well as the super short press statement available after the jump.
[Source: Citroën]
PRESS RELEASE:
CITROËN'S LATEST SURPRISE AT THE FRANKFURT MOTORSHOW 2009
Citroën hasn't finished surprising you with its creativity...
Join us at the Frankfurt Motorshow for a Press Conference with Mr. Frédéric Banzet, Director General of Citroën on Tuesday 15th September at 10.00am in Hall 8, Stand A24.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
tankd0g 8:30AM (9/08/2009)
I'm sure, flying in the face of the the spirit of the original, it'll be a $30,000 fashion accessory.
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bh 8:56AM (9/08/2009)
Seems accurate. A "modern 2CV" would be something ugly, inexpensive, and entirely function-based. This one looks like it will be just one for three.
MKIV 3:38PM (9/08/2009)
2CV is a classic. Don't change it! It does what it supposed to do well and on budget.
Redline 6:13PM (9/08/2009)
They trying to do the same thing that Fiat did with the 500 and that BMW did with the Mini.
FThorn 8:37AM (9/08/2009)
Looks like a melted PT Cruiser from the side.
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anonymous j 8:41AM (9/08/2009)
pt cruiser/ beetle
Bobmarley 9:47AM (9/08/2009)
I thought it was a new Mini at first
Brex 8:45AM (9/08/2009)
From what I've seen from Citroen this summer, Honda/Acura needs to fly to Paris, find out where the Citroen designers dine and start shoveling cash at them.
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Tael 9:07AM (9/08/2009)
Fiat500 contender!!! love the aggressive front fascia.. not like all these happy joy joy compact cars that only females could rightfully be seen driving in
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Kattleox 11:41AM (9/08/2009)
http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive/2008/02/19-abarth-500/Abarth-500-2-lg.jpg
Whats wrong with happy happy joy joy? What if the car is happy because, say, it just ate someones spleen? Or it smoked a ricer off a red light?
Geekengineer 9:25AM (9/08/2009)
It took me a while to find this... but I recall Chrysler had already done a "new" 2CV, in the form of the CCV:
http://www.citrobe.org/ccve.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_CCV
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1999/differentroads/cars/dc_ccv.html
This concept really made sense. It could have been the Tata Nano of the day, but with bigger wheels.
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DiRF 10:52AM (9/08/2009)
The Nissan S-Cargo was very similar in style, and could have been considered a modern-day 2CV Camionette...
Geekengineer 11:38AM (9/08/2009)
Good call... the S-Cargo was a really neat little vehicle. I'm glad it actually went into production, considering so many other cool concepts never see the light of day.
Diego3336 9:30AM (9/08/2009)
Tata Nano is much more like the original 2CV than this teaser appears to be.
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DJ 9:45AM (9/08/2009)
This teaser carries only one styling cue from the original 2CV - 4 wheels.
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sean 2:17PM (9/08/2009)
The retro movement is now sufficiently diverse & established that it can't be dismissed wholesale. Of the people car subset, the NB & Mini are overpriced, but the 500 isn't (in the UK at least).
Assuming it actually is going to be branded as a 2CV, why are so many of you bothered about how faithful it is to the original or not (especially as not many of you actually seem to like said original)? The New Beetle, Mini, and 500 are only tenuously related to their spiritual successors - if Citroen is following them into this market, why would they do it differently? The Mini is particular is as overdesigned and inefficiently packaged as the original was clever and compact: the Nano is closer in spirit to ALL of the originals than any of the namesakes.
I'll concede that the above concept has an attitude entirely absent from it's namesake - but I like it: and my first four cars were 2CVs...
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Dan 3:14PM (9/08/2009)
Wasn't there some unofficial (and terrible) 2CV concept just a year or two ago?
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P.V. 6:55PM (9/08/2009)
Me likey!
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P.V. 6:55PM (9/08/2009)
...but me no likey disappearing comments...
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Harrison 2:38PM (9/09/2009)
Love those rims. They are pretty awesome looking.
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