So what is going to set DS apart from the gathering crowd in this increasingly tumultuous premium car space? We’ve just been given a clear glimpse at the brand’s immediate future in the shape of the new DS No8. This is an electric coupé-SUV that will serve as a flagship for the DS range. It introduces a new naming strategy, a new design direction and some class-leading EV tech. It’s a statement of intent for DS.
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For Thierry Métroz, Senior Vice President of DS Design, the areas the DS brand needs to emphasise in the conversation with customers are clear. He explained: “Our strength over the years is where we are working, because we are Parisian. The original DS was designed in Paris, the 15th District of Paris, and built in the Quai de Javel. It all happened in Paris.
“It’s a very strong advantage, the link with Paris and its other luxury brands. Our ambition for DS is to be the Louis Vuitton of the automotive industry. It’s a dream, because we can’t decide to be a luxury brand. It takes maybe 10 years, 20 years, 40 years, maybe never, we are working to make it possible.”
That link DS is trying to foster to French high fashion brands can also be spotted in the new DS No8 naming strategy that will roll out to the DS No7 and DS No3 in the coming years. There’s some uncertainty over what Chanel would say to any new DS No5 model, but the delicate whiff of haute couture is exactly what DS is aiming to spread.
Internal focus
The cars, of course, need to deliver on all this brand building, and Métroz is in no doubt where DS can make gains. He continued: “The advantage, I think, for DS, is the quality of the interiors. The interior atmosphere, the quality of the lighting, the quality of the material, all the finishes […], the prestige and everything. I think it’s our main differentiation with the German brands.”
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