Opinion: Citroen must make the bargain 2CV Fourgonnette a reality

It’s finally happening. Citroen is bringing back the 2CV in 2028, and the cutesy concept has got us all excited. You can read about it by clicking these here words.

But wait one second, because as an additional little surprise at the Paris motor show, Citroen also pulled the covers off a reborn 2CV Fourgonnette concept. Sweet!

“The 2CV Fourgonnette was more than just a workhorse. It was part of everyday life. Simple, ingenious and accessible, it above all possessed something few commercial vehicles have: a soul,” said boss of the brand Xavier Chardon. “That is the spirit we are bringing back to life today. Because being useful should never mean being ordinary.”

Certainly looks the part with its chunky square back, split rear doors and flip-up side windows, doesn’t it? Just missing the hipster, mobile coffee shop branding and a £5 flat white.

Unfortunately, it would seem that Chardon needs a little more work on his resurrections, because we’re also told that this concept “does not preview a future production model in the short term”. Boo.

We reckon Citroen would be mad not to make the new Fourgonnette a reality, though. The passenger car is targeting a €15,000 (£12,700) entry price, and if the van could get close to that and then lop off the VAT, it’d be more affordable for small businesses than even a teeny little van-based car like the £14,995 Dacia Spring Cargo. And that only gets a payload of 370kg with 1,085 litres of load space. The lightweight but boxy Citroen would surely better that.

Ironically, developing and building small, affordable cars isn’t cheap, and producing a practical urban van on the same platform would help Citroen to recoup some of its new 2CV costs. Plus, the design is far more successful than those gawky Berlingo 2CV Fourgonnette conversions that were officially licensed by Citroen just a couple of years ago.

Come on Xavier, just give us a proper Fourgonnette to complete the set…