Gaul’s favorite warriors will be riding in style in the latest addition to the Asterix franchise because Citroën has created a chariot for the characters. Inspired by the legendary 2CV, the vehicle will cart the characters in the upcoming film, “Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom.”
Conceived and built in just three months,
Citroën’s design team had to work overtime on this project, since it normally
takes the company 12 months to create a concept vehicle. According to the
company’s global design director, Pierre Leclercq, though, the French automaker
was very happy to get the project done.
That work resulted in a chariot with
windows, a sunroof, and a wooden body inspired by the classic Citroën. It also
features a boar’s stomach suspension, magically boosted firefly headlights, and
wheels made of recycled shields that feature the Citroën twin chevron logo. The
chariot shows up at various points in the film, such as when Caesar’s army
reaches China, where it is featured on a billboard being pulled by two horses.
The ad is a subtle allusion to a Citroën advertisement filmed on the Great Wall
of China, the automaker says.
In addition, Citroën provided the crew
that made the movie with a fleet of all electric vehicles to use while filming.
The automaker also installed charging infrastructure at the filming sets, which
were located at Bry-sur-Marne and Bretigny-Sur-Orge.
“Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom”
will be released by Netflix in the spring of 2023 and features Vincent Cassel
(“Black Swan,” “Ocean’s 12”) and Marion Cotillard (“Inception,” “La Vie En
Rose”).
