French luxury brand DS will launch a segment-straddling luxury flagship charged with reinvigorating the company's offering and kickstarting its electric era.
Set to arrive next year, the high-riding fastback will spearhead DS's brand new line-up, which is working to electrify each of its cars and increase its share of the market, 10 years after its separation from Citroën as a stand-alone brand.
As reported by Move Electric's sister title Autocar, the new flagship is designed to replace today’s DS 9 saloon and will arrive at a crucial moment for the marque, which is still struggling to find its feet in the European market. Between January this year and the end of August, DS sold 26,173 cars in Europe, which means sales are down 33% year-on-year across the region.
The current flagship is the DS 9, which is based on the Peugeot 508, itself due to be pulled from sale. It sold just 234 units in Europe until August this year, and only three in the UK.
The new flagship saloon is expected to be heavily influenced by the recently-revealed DS SM Tribute. The rakish, ground-hugging saloon concept was designed as a preview of the brand’s future styling direction, while nodding to the famous Citroën GT car of the 1970s.
DS design boss Thierry Métroz suggested parts of the SM Tribute concept’s retro-futuristic design will be carried over to the company's production cars.
The sleek, aerodynamic silhouette of the SM Tribute suggests DS wants to put aero efficiency at the centre of its future designs. It seems the brand’s relatively conventional Aero Sport Lounge SUV concept from 2020 can no longer be considered a reliable preview of the future, and DS could move away from traditionally-shaped SUVs altogether.
It will feature design cues of a saloon, fastback and SUV in its styling, which is not dissimilar from that of the C5 X that sits at the top of Citroën’s line-up. This also suggests the marque is moving away from conventional crossover styling in favour of a more distinct and easily identifiable look.
Technically, the DS 8 will be a close relation to the Peugeot 3008, Vauxhall Grandland and next-generation Citroën C5 Aircross. It will share with those models Stellantis’s new STLA Medium platform, which can accommodate hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric powertrains.
This means that the electric version of the 8 – likely to be badged E-Tense – will use the same powertrains as those cars: a 73kWh or 98kWh battery with a maximum range of around 435 miles. Those batteries will likely be mated to a choice of single- or dual-motors, the latter packing 316bhp for hot hatch levels of performance.
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has previously indicated that each of the group’s brands will take a “flexible” approach to powertrains in the run-up to going all-electric, so the 8 is also likely to be offered initially with a big-battery, 192bhp PHEV and a 48V petrol hybrid.
Inside, it is expected to be appointed and upholstered in the same vein as the SM Tribute. This means it will embrace an airier and more minimalist interior than that of the firm’s current models, with a projector display replacing the touchscreen for the infotainment, plus lots of ambient lighting and upmarket materials.
Notably, the SM concept featured a yoke-controlled steer-by-wire system, which, if it makes production, could be a first for a Stellantis brand – although Peugeot has also announced plans to bring one to market.
One of the main advantages of such a system is that it can be programmed easily to adapt its performance for different scenarios. It's also cheaper to produce because it requires fewer components and it frees up more packaging space for a ‘frunk’.
Full details will be revealed at the car’s unveiling, which is likely to take place by the end of the year given that 2024 is the 10th anniversary of DS operating as a stand-alone brand.
The DS 8 will be built at Stellantis’s factory in Melfi, Italy, alongside successors to the Vauxhall Insignia and the new Lancia Gamma crossover.
