DS is planning an all-out attack on its premium brand rivals over the next decade with a four-pronged SUV assault, a new luxury saloon and a radical new hybrid supercar to challenge the likes of BMW’s i8.
The supercar, first hinted at by the E-Tense concept shown at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, is likely to feature hybrid technology that comes out of a joint venture DS parent company PSA signed last year with Canadian specialists Exagon Motors, Investissement Québec and Hydro-Québec subsidiary IndusTech.
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The four companies, helped along with 16 million Canadian Dollars-worth of financing from the Quebec government, agreed to share expertise in and develop high-performance electric vehicle components, with PSA set to be the main customer.
The result could be a sports car with a plug-in hybrid powertrain producing in excess of 600bhp, plus the latest DS safety, connectivity and autonomous driving tech.
Speaking exclusively to Auto Express, DS CEO Yves Bonnefont said with a smile: “This is a possibility, yes, but it’s far too early to talk about anything.”
DS vice-president of global sales and marketing, Arnaud Ribault, told us: “If we have a sports car, it’ll be unlike any other sports car in its design.” However, we understand that the E-Tense concept gives plenty of clues to how a DS supercar might look, although we’re unlikely to see anything until well into the next decade.
Before then DS will be concentrating on SUVs. The stunning new DS 7 Crossback, which makes its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, will arrive first in January 2018.
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Next will be a small SUV, likely to be badged DS 3 Crossback and sit alongside the current DS 3 supermini in the brand’s range. It’ll be aimed squarely at the likes of the Audi Q2 and Mercedes GLA and could well share engines and EMP2 chassis tech with the new Peugeot 3008. We’d expect to see that car on sale by 2019.
Following a large luxury saloon, possibly called the DS 8 and primarily aimed at the Chinese market, will be the DS 5 Crossback SUV that will sit between the DS 7 and DS 3 Crossbacks. It should be a similar in size to Audi’s Q3 and use a further evolution of the EMP2 chassis tech, 55mm longer than that of the DS3 Crossback – the EMP2 platform grows in steps of 55mm.
Eventually the DS SUV range will be topped off by a seven-seat Audi Q7 rival likely to wear a DS 8 Crossback badge.
Every one of DS’s new models has been designed with electric power in mind, with a plug-in hybrid version of the DS7 Crossback first to arrive in 2019. The new technology from the Canadian joint venture could also find its way into the DS8 Crossback. Working with the Canadian companies also fuels rumours that DS could spearhead PSA’s return to the US market. However, company insiders hinted that this could be as part of a ride-sharing initiative rather than selling cars through traditional channels. We’ve recently seen fellow PSA brand Peugeot announce a deal with French insurance company MAIF to invest $16 million in existing ride-sharing service TravelCar.
In line with the new product offensive, DS will ensure that its sales approach is as innovative as the technology in the cars. The DS Urban store in London’s Westfield shopping centre has blazed the way for a new sales approach, with DS bosses promising ‘best in class customer service’.
What do you think the future holds for DS? Is the French luxury brand headed in the right direction? Let us know in the comments...
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