Stellantis’ DS Wants To Rival Rolls-Royce And Bentley After Failing To Rival BMW And Audi

It’s not every day you hear about a Stellantis-owned offshoot of Citroen aspiring to rub shoulders with the likes of Bentley and Rolls-Royce, but DS Automobiles seems undeterred by the challenge. The French company, still finding its footing, believes it can leap from its near-premium status to true luxury territory reserved for brands with decades of pedigree. Thierry Metroz, the company’s design chief, even compared their aspirations to become the “Louis Vuitton of the automotive world.”

A Tough Sale

For some context, DS has spent the better part of 15 years struggling to make any meaningful impact in the premium market, let alone pose a threat to Germany’s establishment. Launched in 2009 as a Citroen sub-brand before going independent in 2014, it has yet to gain any significant traction. The numbers tell the story: in 2022, DS sales fell by 22%, with just 37,480 cars sold across Europe.

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To put that into perspective, Lexus, a brand Europeans are notoriously indifferent toward, sold more than double that at 77,306 units. Even Lancia, another Stellantis-owned brand that’s surviving on life support with a single Ypsilon model sold only in a handful of markets, came alarmingly close with 32,649 cars.

Ironically, DS’s sales are closer in scale to more boutique luxury brands like Rolls-Royce and Bentley than to mass-market premium names like Audi or BMW. And yet, that’s not discouraging the French brand from setting its sights even higher, with its design chief stating that the brand is targeting a move into the ultra-luxury sphere. He says this ambition is embodied in the No8 crossover, which he claims draws inspiration from Bentley’s craftsmanship and showcases the brand’s dedication to quality over quantity.

With its latest product, DS believes it is on par with premium rivals like Audi, Mercedes, and BMW. Still, the ultimate goal of the Stellantis brand is to eventually step into the ultra-luxury segment, which is currently occupied by industry heavyweights such as Bentley, Maybach, and Rolls-Royce. If this strategy feels like déjà vu, that’s because Jaguar is aiming for the exact same thing.

The “Louis Vuitton of Cars”?

Thierry Metroz elaborated on this vision during an interview with Autocar at the Brussels Motor Show. “We are premium, but our mission is to be more than premium. We would like to try to touch the luxury feeling”. He went on to frame DS’s ambitions in fashion terms, describing the brand’s dream of becoming the “Louis Vuitton of the automotive industry.”

Metroz is particularly proud of the DS No8’s interior, which he claims stands out from competitors. “It’s a very luxurious interior. Compared to our German competitors, it’s about the quality of the materials and the details of the interior. It’s a luxury taste. It’s not German for the interior – it’s more like Bentley. It’s not Bentley, of course, but the kind of inspiration is more Bentley or Rolls-Royce than Audi or Volkswagen.”

DS No8 Interior

Despite these lofty claims, Metroz is realistic about the hurdles ahead. “It’s a lot of work, as the brand is very young. We only launched the brand in 2014. It probably takes more than 10 years, maybe 20 years to have the positioning of a luxury automotive brand.”

Metroz thinks that in order to move forward, DS needs to be “very focused on the quality of the details”. When asked if the so-called “luxury feel” could be achieved by using shared Stellantis underpinnings, the designer admitted it is “hard”. However, he said that DS can still change “key parts” and improve their models’ proportions, by lowering the roofline and pushing back the windscreen.

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Before Tavares stepped down as CEO of Stellantis, reports emerged that the group would review its entire brand portfolio by 2026, leaving no brand with guaranteed long-term funding. Despite the pressure to prove its worth within the next few years, DS Automobiles remains unfocused on boosting sales volume. As the company puts it: “We need to sell cars, like any brand, but our target is not to sell a lot of cars—we prefer to reinforce the positioning of the brand with the luxury feeling.”

The DS No8 Leads The Way For The Future Lineup

The DS No8 is just the beginning, according to Metroz. Future models, including the successor to the DS 7 and the facelifted DS 4, will carry “the same spirit” as the No8. These upcoming vehicles, likely to be rebranded as the DS No7 and DS No4, will emphasize bold designs intended to stand out in an increasingly crowded EV market.

Metroz also took a jab at Chinese automakers, accusing them of copying designs from brands like Porsche and Tesla. “DS wants something stronger in terms of styling,” he said, emphasizing that unique, character-rich designs will be central to the brand’s identity. He believes that while consumers are ready to adopt EVs, they want cars with a “very attractive design and a lot of character.”

DS No8 Exterior