Citroen 2CV Is Here!

Citroen 2CV is here! We wish...although 2012 is only a few months away!

Priced above the C3 but less than a C4, the new 2CV will enjoy the excellent fuel efficiency of the C4 hatch. It may even top it if the proposed hybrid diesel engine is used in the Citroen 2CV.

Other things that may keep the "Two Horses" (or 2 Chevaux - hence the 2CV name) away from the gas pump are plastic panels - which will make the car lighter than normal.

The Citroen 2CV (new version) is likely to let you pick the colour of the panels. Two-tone options will be popular. You may go for a blue and white version or even a pink and red number for fashionable ladies.

Remember the old 2CV? It really sums up Paris and the French countryside in a single name. Think of all the movies that  starred this little French car. You've got Sean Connery as James Bond driving one in For Your Eyes Only, Peter Sellers as the inspector hotfooting it in a 2CV in the Pink Panther movies, and even Richard Dreyfus aimlessly driving around in the French classic car in American Graffiti.

Did you know that second-hand 2CVs were once more expensive than new ones? Crazy but true. When the Deux Chevaux (Citroen 2CV) launched in 1948, the waiting list was so long (three to five years) that a second-hand 2CV would sell for more than a new one. This happened because people were prepared to pay a little more to get one immediately, rather than wait out the three or five years.

All said and done, the 2CV sold in record numbers. Almost 4 million were sold from its launch in 1948 until it was axed in 1990. If you count 2CV variations, more than 9 million were sold. Not quite as many as the Volkswagen Beetle (21 million cars sold), but more than the Mini (5.4 million).

With the recent success of the New Mini, and the not so spectacular success of the New Beetle, it remains to be seen whether the New 2CV will sell in high volumes.

In its favor, the New Citroen 2CV has the retro styling that evokes memories of happier and easier times. The 2CV also has one of the most easily recognizable car shapes in history, probably third behind the Beetle and the Mini. However, the 2CV has been labelled the "Ugly Duckling" by many in the car industry. It is not a pretty shape yet it is unique. Citroen, the manufacturers of the new 2CV prototype, have created a beautiful car that stays true to form.

If you are a Citroen fan, perhaps the new model 2CV could be an injection of fun into your life.