- DS Automobiles is plotting a modern reincarnation of the Citroen DS, serving as a new fully electric flagship.
- CEO Olivier Francois said that the “pure DS should be large, expensive, and amazing”.
- The model will ride on Stellantis underpinnings but could gain a sophisticated suspension setup.
Since its separation from Citroen, DS Automobiles is trying to establish a distinct styling language to match the premium positioning of its products. In a quest to step up the game, the French automaker now wants to use the classic Citroen DS as an inspiration for a future EV flagship, and eventually scale down some of its design features to the rest of the lineup.
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The news were shared by DS Automobiles CEO, Olivier Francois, who is also the CEO of Fiat and the CMO of Stellantis. Francois believes that DS Automobiles is the only new brand with a heritage and wants to rely on that to stand out from the crowd and further distance it from the mainstream automakers of the Stellantis group. A new flagship with styling references to the original DS from the ’50s could play an important role in the reinvention of the French brand as it steps into its EV-only era.
More: DS 3 And DS 4 Gain New Hybrid Powertrain Before Full EV Shift
Speaking to Auto Express, Francois said: “There are a few cars in automotive history that have become iconic because they are extremely aerodynamic. The UK may have the Jaguar E-Type, but for sure, the DS models of the sixties and seventies were exactly that. They had this incredibly iconic look, an iconic design that everyone recognized, everyone loves and everyone remembers.”
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The CEO added: “If we can tie back to this design DNA, we can have the best-looking and, more importantly, the most meaningful aero-designed electric car in a world of new brands”. He then took a step further, giving us a description of the upcoming model: “The pure DS should be large, expensive, and amazing. Everyone will be in love. We can do the sensual, curvy, extremely inspiring cars that are very aerodynamic and very French – the art of travel. Soon, I’ll show you.”
Citroen DS (1955-1975)
As for the underpinnings of the new EV, the company will use the best parts from the Stellantis platforms to make it as exciting as possible. Francois said that the pure DS will be one of the first to introduce Stellantis’ new battery pack which is good for over 700 km (435 miles) of range, likely referring to the 98 kWh battery that was recently introduced by the Peugeot E-3008.
More importantly, the CEO hinted at a brand-specific chassis setup. He went as far as referencing the height-adjustable nature of the hydraulic suspension found in the original DS and later Citroen sedans: “I still love the idea of the hydraulic suspension. Not just to go down when you drive, but to go up to facilitate ingress. I mean, people now love SUVs for that”. It’s unknown whether Stellantis would make such a heavy R&D investment for a niche brand, but similar usability could be achieved by a sophisticated active suspension system focused on comfort and ride refinement.
More: Is Stellantis Onto Something? DS Cuts Lineup To Just Two Trims
DS has officially confirmed that a new fully electric model is coming in 2024, riding on the STLA Medium architecture. Recent spy shots suggest that the EV, which is rumored to adopt the DS8 moniker, will have a crossover fastback silhouette, featuring an aerodynamic roofline and aggressive LEDs. It is not clear if Francois is referring to this model, or an even larger and more premium offering that could bear a closer resemblance to the original Citroen DS, but we certainly hope for the latter.
In any case, the CEO wants the retro-inspired styling features to gradually roll down to the rest of the DS Automobiles’ lineup: “We realized that we can expand this design, this new language, to smaller cars. They’re not going to look exactly like the original, but it’s a gene that is not difficult to transmit to various categories of cars.”
The official sketch of the flying DS (above) and our slightly edited version without the wings (below).
A sketch published by DS Automobiles on April 2023 depicted a modern take on the the flying Citroen DS from the 1965 film “Fantomas Unleashed”. At the time, we thought that the illustration was exclusively created for a temporary exhibition with iconic cars appearing in Louis de Funes films. However, the recent comments by the DS Automobiles CEO make us hope that the sketch might give us an insight in the development of the upcoming flagship and its future styling language.
Auto Express speculates that the new model could be one of the eight vehicles promised to debut between 2024 and 2026 riding on the STLA Large architecture. As for the timing of its launch, the “pure DS” could arrive just in time for the 70th anniversary of the Citroen DS in 2025.
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