DS Automobiles will become a 100% electric brand. To achieve this ambitious goal, the French premium firm will carry out the development of a whole series of new models. On the agenda is the development of two new electric SUVs that will raise the stakes with respect to the current DS 3 Crossback E-Tense.
Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, made very important announcements in the framework of the presentation of the financial results of the first half of 2021 of this colossus of the automotive industry. Among other brands, DS Automobiles was one of the protagonists of these announcements that Tavares carried out. The most immediate future of the French premium brand inevitably involves electrification.
All the new models that DS Automobiles will introduce to the market from 2024 will be 100% electric. The objective is none other than to make DS a brand composed exclusively of electric vehicles in a short space of time. It will be an advantage over the rest of the firms that make up the Stellantis car conglomerate. However, to achieve this goal it will be necessary to develop new models.
DS Automobiles to launch two new electric SUVs
Beyond the current DS 4 and DS 9 which are newcomers in the DS range, Tavares indicated that the offer will include four more models. It will not be until the end of this year when the detailed roadmap to be followed by each of the brands that make up Stellantis is presented, however, these first keys allow to shed some light on the strategic plan that will be put in place.
The future of DS 7 Crossback undergoes a comprehensive renovation. In 2022 the mid-cycle update will be released that will allow this generation, the first, to face the rest of the commercial life that lies ahead. It will be in 2025 when it is transformed into an electric vehicle supported by the STLA Medium platform.
Too there will be a replacement for the DS 3 Crossback, the only electric model currently in the DS range. It will be approximately in 2026 when it debuts its new generation on the STLA Small platform and also does the same by detaching itself from the combustion engines.
However, two other models are missing. Current information indicates that DS is determined to expand its SUV offer with two new electric SUVs. The first of these will be an SUV Coupé inspired by the DS Aero Sport Lounge known internally with the code P85. And on the other hand, an SUV of compact dimensions and seven seats will be introduced. A project under the code P95. In both projects Thierry Métroz, Design Director of DS Automobiles, will be a key player.
The 100% electric variant of the new DS 4
Other reports also show that this launch schedule includes a electric variant of the new DS 4. This is a great surprise, since during the development process of this compact the possibility of offering a mechanic of this nature has not been taken into account. That is why it is offered with both gasoline engines and plug-in hybrid engines. The brand has changed its mind and it will be, foreseeably, in 2024 when the electric variant of the DS 4. The project is already underway, although it is in a larval stage.