Latest news with #Koskas
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Reborn Citroën 2CV part of plan for 'daring and shocking' models
Autocar revealed earlier this year that design work on a 2CV-inspired model had begun Citroën will leverage the history and heritage of the brand – and the 2CV in particular – with future models, boss Thierry Koskas has confirmed. Autocar revealed earlier this year that design work on a model inspired by the original 2CV had begun. Asked if Citroën made enough of its history, Koskas said the brand has "one of the richest histories in the world" and in France the original Citroën DS and Citroën 2CV are always named as one and two when people are asked for their favourite cars from history. "The brand has an incredible history and I think it still appeals to a lot of people," said Koskas. "When you travel everywhere in the world, people know the 2CV. "We want to use this heritage. We will do it in a way that we will see [in the future]. But yes, we want to leverage that." Koskas said the future Citroën range will be built around four pillars: the C3, C3 Aircross, C4 and C5 Aircross. But the firm will launch additional models as part of a plan to be "daring and shocking". "There are different ways to express that, through our products and how we communicate," he said. "We have started to be daring again in how we communicate. "But in the future, we need some iconic models that will surprise, either through their design, their features, or whatever. "This is very much what Citroën knows how to do, and I think that we really need to do that again as it will have a halo effect on the other models. We need the four pillars for the volume and growth of the brand, but we also need some icons." Koskas confirmed that the brand will continue to make physical concept cars to showcase proposed new models and ideas, and later this year there will be a "new concept that will give direction on how we understand the notion of comfort and space management". While this is understood to not directly preview a new model, including a reborn 2CV, Koskas said Citroën "needs to move to series cars" for creating new concepts and ideas as "we do not want to have icons only in concepts that nobody will buy. We want to have real icons that customers will buy". After the imminent introduction of the new C3 and C3 Aircross models and a facelift for the C4, the C5 Aircross will be launched later this year as the last of Citroën's four pillar models. Koskas said this will be the ceiling for the brand in terms of the size of cars it offers. There is also still no plan for Citroën to re-enter the city car segment with a C1 or C2 model due to "very challenging" issues about making such cars affordable. But Koskas believes Citroën "already addresses the smaller car segment" with the affordability of its new C3. "We have no intention to go any smaller," he said. "I'm quite happy to be focused on the B- and C-segment. This is my playground. " ]]>
Telegraph
19-03-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Citroen 2CV to return as retro electric vehicle
The Citroen 2CV is set to return as a retro-inspired electric vehicle (EV), its French makers have suggested. Thierry Koskas, chief executive of Citroen, said his company would release a range of historically inspired cars in coming years, drawing on 'one of the richest histories in the world' among automotive brands. The car company's century-long range of classics includes the 'tin snail'-shaped 2CV, beloved of enthusiasts and retro coffee van operators alike, as well as the mid-20th century DS and the 1990s Saxo hot hatchback. 'The brand has an incredible history and I think it still appeals to a lot of people,' said Mr Koskas. He added: 'You can go anywhere in the world – even to Brazil – and you will find people who know the 2CV.' When asked by reporters whether the 2CV will return as an EV, he reportedly smiled and said: 'We don't exclude that we will use this heritage.' Autocar magazine reported in January that Citroen was working on a 'successor' to the 2CV design, some thirty years after production ended. Previously, the French carmaker had denied rumours that it was looking at bringing back the classic motor. Strong sales of its sister brand's Renault 5 all-electric hatchback prompted a rethink at the firm's Paris head office, Autocar said. A launch could take place in 2028, this being the 80th anniversary of the original 2CV's launch at the Paris Motor Show. The 2CV traces its lineage back to the mid-1930s Toute Petite Voiture (TPV) concept car. Development was halted by the German invasion of France in the Second World War, leading to TPV prototypes being bricked up inside basements and barns to stop German occupiers from making off with them. Modern reboots of retro cars by their original manufacturers are growing in popularity. Ford announced in December that the Mk.1 Escort would return, under a deal with specialist carmaker Boreham Retroworks. The new-build Escorts will come with engines delivering three times the power of the original model, as well as a £300,000 price tag. Land Rover also announced it was bringing back the classic Defender 90 and 110 models, albeit as a refurbishment of an original vehicle to each customer's individual specification and priced at £200,000 each. Under a target introduced by Kemi Badenoch, then the Business Secretary, the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars will be outlawed from the year 2030. Labour is now under intense pressure from car manufacturers including Citroen's parent company Stellantis to reverse those damaging plans. Another Stellantis brand, Vauxhall, is shutting down its century-old Luton factory later this year as a result of the zero-emission vehicle mandate. Meanwhile, Mini owner BMW has suspended plans to revamp the brand's Oxford factory to build electric versions of the much-loved miniature hatchback.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Citroen 2CV to return as retro electric vehicle
The Citroen 2CV is set to return as a retro-inspired electric vehicle (EV), its French makers have suggested. Thierry Koskas, chief executive of Citroen, said his company would release a range of historically inspired cars in coming years, drawing on 'one of the richest histories in the world' among automotive brands. The car company's century-long range of classics includes the 'tin snail'-shaped 2CV, beloved of enthusiasts and retro coffee van operators alike, as well as the mid-20th century DS and the 1990s Saxo hot hatchback. 'The brand has an incredible history and I think it still appeals to a lot of people,' said Mr Koskas. He added: 'You can go anywhere in the world – even to Brazil – and you will find people who know the 2CV.' When asked by reporters whether the 2CV will return as an EV, he reportedly smiled and said: 'We don't exclude that we will use this heritage.' Autocar magazine reported in January that Citroen was working on a 'successor' to the 2CV design, some thirty years after production ended. Previously the French carmaker had denied rumours that it was looking at bringing back the classic motor. Strong sales of its sister brand's Renault 5 all-electric hatchback prompted a rethink at the firm's Paris head office, Autocar said. A launch could take place in 2028, this being the 80th anniversary of the original 2CV's launch at the Paris Motor Show. The 2CV traces its lineage back to the mid-1930s Toute Petite Voiture (TPV) concept car. Development was halted by the German invasion of France in the Second World War, leading to TPV prototypes being bricked up inside basements and barns to stop German occupiers from making off with them. Modern reboots of retro cars by their original manufacturers are growing in popularity. Ford announced in December that the Mk.1 Escort would return, under a deal with specialist carmaker Boreham Retroworks. The new-build Escorts will come with engines delivering three times the power of the original model, as well as a £300,000 price tag. Land Rover also announced it was bringing back the classic Defender 90 and 110 models, albeit as a refurbishment of an original vehicle to each customer's individual specification and priced at £200,000 each. Under a target introduced by Kemi Badenoch, then the Business Secretary, the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars will be outlawed from the year 2030. Labour is now under intense pressure from car manufacturers including Citroen's parent company Stellantis to reverse those damaging plans. Another Stellantis brand, Vauxhall, is shutting down its century-old Luton factory later this year as a result of the zero emission vehicle mandate. Meanwhile, Mini owner BMW has suspended plans to revamp the brand's Oxford factory to build electric versions of the much-loved miniature hatchback. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
