Renault is clearly not done reviving past icons with the R4 and R5 production models. The automaker has just launched a new concept car, inspired by the Renault 8 Gordini from the ’60s. The modern reincarnation of the classic rally sedan is a two-seater coupe with a fully electric powertrain and a retro-flavored design. Unfortunately, it is not destined for production, although elements from its design might influence future models.

The original Renault 8 Gordini was launched in 1964 as the high-performance version of the rear-engined rear-wheel-drive family sedan designed for winding mountain passes. The “la Gorde” featured an upgraded engine with nearly double the horsepower of the donor vehicle, a lowered suspension, beefier brakes, four or six headlights, and a blue paint with white racing stripes.

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The new Renault 8 Gordini Concept evokes the Café racer spirit of the original, looking like a reverse restomod with a low and wide stance. The coupe measures 4.12 m (162 in) long, 1.88 m (74 in) wide, and 1.27 m (50 in) tall, riding on 19-inch and 20-inch alloy wheels.

Six round LED headlights are mounted on a grille-less V-shaped nose, with flush taillights disappearing into the bodywork when not in use. The coupe also features sporty bumper intakes with a body-colored splitter, boxy and wide fenders, flying buttresses on the C-pillars, a roof spoiler, a rear ventilation grille, and a large diffuser. Of course, it wears the iconic blue livery with white stripes running along the carbon fiber body.

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The interior is a celebration of minimalism and a nod to the analog era. Instead of oversized screens, Renault added six round dials with thick bezels, mounted on a brushed aluminum strip on the dashboard. We also find tasteful Alcantara inserts, an aluminum center console with physical switches, and a pair of bucket seats with black and blue corduroy upholstery.

The French automaker revealed that its designers were so enthusiastic about the brief, they submitted over 300 sketches. Alexandre Malval, Renault’s Vice President of Design, said that the goal was “to spark emotion by drawing on both our heritage and modern times, bringing together the icons of yesterday and the future.”

Renault didn’t share information about the underpinnings of the concept, other than revealing it is powered by a single electric motor which is good for 266 hp (198 kW / 270 PS) sending power to the rear wheels.

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While we would like to believe otherwise, Renault made it clear that the R8 Gordini concept is a one-off and it’s not going to evolve into a production model. Instead, it serves as a follow up to homage projects like the R17 electric restomod x Ora Ïto concept car, and the Renault 5 Diamant art car.

The new concept will make its first public outing at the Renault Carwalk on September 24, before being exhibited at the Paris Motor Show next month. Eventually, it will end up at the new Renault Collections museum in Flins which is scheduled to open its doors for the public in around 15 months.

Renault

Stellantis has shared the first teaser of the Opel Sports Tourer eXperimental (STX) Concept ahead of its unveiling at the Paris Motor Show on October 12. The concept is believed to preview a future production wagon, that could replace the Opel Astra before the end of the decade.

According to the automaker, the Opel STX Concept represents “its vision for the future of estate cars”. Opel has been offering family-friendly wagons since the Olympia Rekord Caravan from 1953, while the Sports Tourer moniker is used for the estate variant of the current Astra.

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Florian Huettl, Opel CEO, said: “As the name indicates, the Opel STX Concept will give our vision of the future of an aero-efficient estate – a body style that Opel played a pioneering role in establishing in Europe. It shows our next generation design language and feature elements that you will see in future production models.”

The announcement is accompanied by a single teaser that doesn’t reveal much about the design. What we can see is STX concept lettering on what appears to be a portion of the front bumper, featuring a carbon-style finish against a blue or silver bodywork. The company didn’t mention anything about the concept’s powertrain type, but chances are it will feature some sort of electrification.

Stellantis has confirmed that the next generation of the Astra will arrive before 2030. The model will ride on the new STLA One architecture, offering the option between fully electric and hybrid powertrains.

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Furthermore, the Opel CEO has revealed that an estate variant of the next Astra has been locked in, while hinting that the hatchback’s shape may evolve into a non-traditional bodystyle. Reading between the lines, the Astra could evolve into a sporty compact wagon and the upcoming concept might give us a good idea of what to expect.

The official debut of the Opel STX Concept is scheduled for October 12 at the Mondial de l’Automobile in Paris, although the automaker might share more teasers and additional information as we move closer to that date. The wagon will be joined by the GSE 27FE single seater for the upcoming Formula E championship, the fully electric Corsa GSE hot hatch, and the new Astra GSE Line trim.

The Opel Astra is one of the most popular compact cars in Europe, but the latest generation never got a proper hot hatch variant to rival the VW Golf GTI. While this is still the case, Stellantis has dialed up the power with a new Astra GSE Line trim, matching the power output of long-gone Astra OPC models in its most potent fully electric form.

Opel used to offer a GSe variant of the Astra with 222 hp (165 kW / 225 PS) from a plug-in hybrid powertrain, while featuring sportier looks and a sharper chassis setup. The new GSE Line is a replacement for the sporty GS trim, and will be available with every available powertrain option in the Astra lineup, including gasoline, mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric models.

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The big news is that the flagship Opel Astra GSE Line will inherit the single electric motor from the new Corsa GSE and Mokka GSE siblings, producing 276 hp (206 kW / 280 PS). This matches the output of the turbo 2.0-liter engine in the Astra OPC J, sold between 2012 and 2018. Still, don’t expect it to be a full-blown hot hatch.

Visually, the GSE Line adopts a sportier stance than the GS it replaces and the rest of the facelifted Astra lineup. The front bumper molding is the same, but there’s extra glossy black trim around the side intakes with discreet “GSE Line” lettering.

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Other changes include the trim-specific LED color in the Opel Vizor grille and 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, which are optionally available in an 18-inch version. The company only showed photos of the hatchback, so we don’t know whether the GSE Line treatment will be applied to the wagon.

Inside, designers added bright yellow stitching and piping to the steering wheel, door cards, and center armrest, alongside aluminum sports pedals and an optional pair of sports seats with integrated headrests. As with the lesser Astra trims, the digital cockpit comprises dual 10-inch displays.

Opel didn’t mention any chassis tweaks, suggesting the GSE Line will likely get a standard suspension, although that may vary depending on the powertrain under the hood. Note that the Astra GSe PHEV did have a sportier setup, including a recalibrated steering, new ESP settings, and a 10 mm (0.4 inches) lowered suspension with new springs and oil-filled Koni FSD dampers.

More: Stellantis Confirms The Next Astra And Corsa Land Before 2030

Marc Fetzer, Opel Vice President Current Product, said that the Astra GSE Line will show how the “extra sportiness” of the GSE models can be combined with “maximum practicality for everyday use”, while giving customers a “free choice” between powertrains.

The new Opel Astra GSE Line will make its first public outing at the Paris Motor Show next month, followed by a market launch in spring 2027. Opel has confirmed that further GSE Line models will follow later in 2027, likely including the Grandland SUV.

Stellantis

Citroën is reviving one of its most iconic nameplates for the modern age. After lying dormant for more than 35 years, the 2 CV returns as a small EV, set to premiere at the Paris Auto Show in October. To stir up interest ahead of that debut, Citroën has kicked off an interactive social media campaign complete with prizes.

The new 2 CV campaign is inspired by a French board game, and five challenges will be launched on Instagram in the lead-up to the new car’s unveiling. The first of these games was shared a couple of weeks ago, simply asking followers how much horsepower the first 2 CV had. There were seven winners, each receiving a Citroën-branded version of Monopoly.

Read: Citroen’s Budget Fastback Looks Fast Only When Standing Still

The second game was a little more challenging than the first, though it still seemed pretty easy for 2 CV enthusiasts. This time, Citroën played the sounds of four different vehicles online, and players had to guess which sound was the 2 CV. Once again, the French brand is selecting seven winners, each of whom will receive a 2 CV cap.

Among the other prizes previewed for future games are a carry-on suitcase, a portable Bluetooth speaker, and a bright red Citroën drink bottle.

What Can We Expect From The New 2 CV?

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As for the new 2 CV itself, a single teaser image has revealed it will have a small footprint just like the original, complete with a bulbous-looking roofline and pronounced front and rear fenders. It will also include LED headlights perched above the bumper and is shaping up to have quite a spacious cabin.

Technical specifications remain a mystery. It’s understood the car premiering at the Paris Auto Show will be a concept and that the production model will go on sale in 2028, priced at under €15,000 ($17,300).

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Photos Stellantis / Citroen

Like a globetrotting dog with gastrointestinal issues, Smart has dropped #2s in cities across the world. They’re part of a teaser campaign, which is designed to promote the upcoming ForTwo successor.

Jokes aside, the murals – which have been created in Berlin, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Paris, and Shanghai – effectively reveal the design of the model. The road-going city car follows in the footsteps of the #2 concept, but adopts a ventilated grille as well as a lightly revised shark nose front end. The hood has also been pushed further back, while the production model trades fancy lights for vertical air curtains.

More: Smart Teases The Production #2, The Two-Seater It Swore Off Years Ago

Moving down the sides, there’s curvaceous bodywork and rounded fenders. They’re joined by aerodynamically optimized wheels and what appears to be an available contrasting black roof. Elsewhere, we can see proper door handles and a hint of Toyota iQ.

Smart didn’t show much of the rear end, but we were able to get a better look by zooming in on a planning sheet. It reveals the #2 will have circular taillights and a pronounced spoiler. They’re joined by a more conventional liftgate, which features a mid-mounted license plate recess. We can also see a black bumper that trades a digital display for what appears to be a reflector.

As we’ve previously reported, the #2 will ride on the Electric Compact Architecture and have a roughly 35.7 kWh battery pack that provides around 186 miles (300 km) of range. When it’s low, a DC fast charger can take the battery from 10 to 80 percent in less than 20 minutes.

The model measures 109.9 inches (2,792 mm) long and will have a turning circle of just 22.8 feet (6.95 meters). This means the new car will be 3.8 inches (97 mm) longer than the second-generation ForTwo.

Getting back to the murals, they were jointly created by the Mercedes-Benz design team as well as local artists including Martín Ron, Georgia Laurie, Zhu Bin, and the group known as Parents Parents. The brand went on to note art is in their very name as Smart is a combination of Swatch, Mercedes, and Art (s+m+art).

The ForTwo used to define Smart, but it faded into the history books as the revamped brand decided to focus on crossovers and their first sedan. However, the company is finally returning to their roots with the electric #2.

Set to drop at the Paris Motor Show in October, the two-seat city car was previewed by a concept earlier this year. The road-going model closely echoes the show car, but adopts a revised grille and vertical air curtains.

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Further back, we can see more conventional mirrors and side skirts. They’re joined by traditional door handles and a larger charging port door.

The rear end has been toned down a bit and there’s a new liftgate with a license plate recess. The production model also has a spoiler and a relatively plain rear bumper.

Smart noted the #2 is currently undergoing “rigorous pre-production testing and validation” to ensure the model offers “unmatched urban agility, driving stability, elevated NVH refinement, and uncompromising safety.” As part of this effort, prototypes have been subjected to a number of “real-world urban challenges,” while engineers have worked to continuously refine the model.

Smart also paid special attention to the tires, as they’ve tested multiple compounds on rough asphalt, grooved concrete, and high-speed straights. Their ultimate goal is to select a tire that has an “optimal balance between low rolling resistance for maximum range and exceptional noise reduction.”

The automaker has previously revealed the #2 will ride on the new Electric Compact Architecture, which has been developed specifically for the EV. The model is targeted to have a 35.7 kWh battery pack that provides around 186 miles (300 km) of range. When it’s low, a DC fast charger can take the battery from 10 to 80 percent in less than 20 minutes.

We also know that the #2 will measure 109.9 inches (2,792 mm) long and have a tight turning circle of 22.8 feet (6.95 meters). This means the new model will be 3.8 inches (97 mm) longer than the second-generation ForTwo.