- A facelifted prototype of DS Automobiles’ DS4 crossover has been spied testing.
- The DS4 is closely related to the Citroen C4 which received its own refresh last fall.
- Images show a new grille similar to the one on the No.8 EV that goes on sale this year.
Rome wasn’t built in a day and DS Automobiles wasn’t transformed into a credible Lexus rival in a decade. But Stellantis seems determined to keep trying and so the DS4 crossover will relaunch in facelifted form later this year.
The BMW X2-sized DS4 is built on Stellantis Group’s EMP2 platform, which it shares with models like the latest Opel Astra and Peugeot 308. This sets it apart from the Citroen C4, another Stellantis crossover, which uses the EMP1 architecture and received a facelift last fall. Visually, the revised DS4 will take its styling cues from DS’s upcoming flagship electric vehicle, the No8 EV.
Related: DS No8 Breaks Cover As The New French Electric Flagship
A stylish all-electric fastback designed to replace the oddly conventional-looking (for DS) DS9, the No8 debuted in December showcasing a new look for the posh French company’s cars. And we can see hints of a very similar front-end treatment behind the disguise on this prototype of a facelifted DS4.
Just about visible is a new grille featuring a bank of tightly packed vertical bars, with a blank space left in the middle for the DS logo. As on the No8, the grille stops short of the leading edge of the hood, leaving space for a separate section of transverse trim. We can expect the grille, logo and potentially that piece of trim to all be illuminated. A new set of vertical DRLs is also seen under the headlights.
The rear shots suggest changes back there will be less substantial. It’s still possible to make out the snakeskin pattern light clusters that’s seen on current DS4s, which date back to 2021. But we think there’s a good chance the new one will inherit the No8’s star-spoke steering wheel to help liven up an interior that will be mostly carried over.
Unlike the No8, which won’t offer combustion engines when it arrives in dealers this year, even though its STLA Medium platform gives DS the option to fit them, the DS4 will feature a mix of four-cylinder mild hybrid and PHEV powertrains. The DS4 gained a 134 hp (100 kW / 136 PS) 1.2-liter engine last year that cut the 0-62 mph (100 kmh) time by 1.2 seconds to 8.4 seconds.
But one thing that the DS4 is likely to share with the No8 is a new naming strategy. DS says when talking about the No8 we should say ‘number eight’ (or numero huit in French), which would presumably make the new DS4 the No4, number four or numero quatre when it debuts in the second half of 2025.
Correction: The second-generation DS4 is based on the EMP2 and not the C4’s EMP1 platform.
