The buzz around Citroen’s reborn 2CV had to be seen to be believed. This was the automotive second coming, with President Macron wheeled in as one of three kings paying homage, and the electric concept continuously filmed from all angles.

It’s a very clever design, instantly recognisable as a 2CV despite myriad modernisations. The horseshoe silhouette and ballooning wheelarches scream Citroen 2CV, despite the windscreen’s more angular header rail and no faired-in rear wheel. Up front, the protruding headlamps and bumpers create a faithful, cheerful face, while the fender scoop is purely there to make the ribbed bonnet float and mimic the original’s. The 18-inch wheels have grown by three inches and are pushed out to the corners, for a very modern stance. 

“The original 2CV is so weird in terms of geometry,” head of design Pierre Leclercq told Auto Express as he guided us around the concept. “We love it but it’s really a box with big wheelarches. If we’d lost the wheelarches, people wouldn’t see 2CV. But it’s a fight to keep them on such a small car.”

President Macron “loved the 2CV,” said Citroen CEO Xavier Chardon unsurprisingly. “He wasn’t supposed to sit in it, but he spent a lot of time inside!” Expect a similarly short, sparse dashboard with a tiny screen, while that wicker basket to replace the glovebox and the ‘radio’ – a pull-out sound system – should come as accessories. Lovely touches that will also save cash to help Citroen hit its €15,000 base price (circa £12,700) when the production 2CV arrives in a couple of years.