DS Plans Executive Car To Rival Mercedes E-Class, BMW 5-Series

PSA has been pushing deeper into the premium segments with DS, launched as a standalone brand approximately 3 years ago.

They already have some new arrivals, such as the DS7 Crossback, in addition to the upcoming DS3 Crossback, but their family is allegedly bound to welcome a new member.

The rumored DS8 is expected to show up in 2020, when it will also mark the 65th anniversary of the original Citroen DS. It will be an E-segment car, AutoExpress reports, but its design has been apparently signed off already by executives within the company.

“The design is finished and I can tell you the car looks amazing”, said Eric Apode, DS VP of Product Planning, during Auto China 2018. “Since the beginning, it was extremely important to have this car in our range. But we will never do a copy; DS is something different, something spectacular. With our flagship, we will do that.”

New DS flagship won’t be a saloon

Poised to take on the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5-Series, Audi A6 and Jaguar XF, among others, the upcoming DS8 won’t exactly be a four-door saloon, as it’s been understood to go for a more stylish fastback design.

“When we talk about DS, we say we are the only French carmaker positioned in the luxury premium sector, that we are unique in this position”, added Apode. “Whenever we do a car, we don’t start the process by saying we want to copy a car from Mercedes.”

Inspired partially by the DS7 Crossback, the flagship model is expected to be underpinned by the EMP2 platform. This is already used as the foundation stone of several vehicles from Peugeot and Citroen, and by the Opel/Vauxhall Grandland X, too. Moreover, it’s also the basis of the all-new Peugeot 508.

Alongside the usual petrol engines, and probable diesels, the new DS executive car will welcome an electrified derivative, likely in the form of a plug-in hybrid, with a zero-emission range estimated at some 64km (40mi).

Unlike some versions of its direct rivals, which are offered with all-wheel drive, the DS8 is believed to be front-wheel drive only.

Note: Citroen Numero 9 Concept pictured