DS is primed to launch a flagship saloon as early as 2020, according to company sources.
It is thought that the new luxury model will be based on the PSA Group’s EMP2 platform, which underpins numerous other cars within the company including the DS 7 Crossback, the recently revealed Peugeot 508 and the Vauxhall Insignia.
The new model is expected to be the third of six new DS vehicles launched over six consecutive years, following the 7 Crossback in 2018 and a compact electric vehicle due to go on sale next year.
Electric DS 3 Crossback to be revealed at 2018 Paris motor show
While the saloon has not been explicitly confirmed, a company source suggested it will be “comparable in every way to the BMW 5 Series”.
Following DS’s recently announced plans to offer only electrified models from 2025, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect the new saloon to be powered by a variation of the 296bhp plug-in hybrid powertrain due to be available with the 7 Crossback next year.
Speaking on the company’s plans to electrify its model line, DS product development director Eric Apode said: “We’ve said from the beginning, DS has to lead innovation within the PSA Group. It’s totally obvious, then, that DS had to be the leading brand in electrification.
“This is also because of pricing. It [electrification] has to start with premium brands because the prices will be high. Then, as the pricing decreases, it can go to the other brands.”
Apode added that the company was drawing on lessons learned from its involvement in Formula E.
“We’ve been in Formula E for three years now,” he said. “We wanted to get maximum knowledge, maximum experience in electrification and take it back to road cars.
“It’s at the centre of our work.”
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Electric DS 3 Crossback to be revealed at 2018 Paris motor show