DS Automobiles
Spirit of Avant-Garde
Product typeLuxury vehicles
OwnerAutomobiles Citroën, a subsidiary of Stellantis[1][2]
Produced byStellantis
CountryFrance
IntroducedFebruary 5, 2009 (2009-02-05) (as a Citroën brand)
June 1, 2014 (2014-06-01) (as an independent brand)
Related brands
List
MarketsWorldwide
Websitedsautomobiles.com

DS Automobiles is a French luxury-premium marque brand of Automobiles Citroën S.A., a subsidiary ultimately owned by Stellantis. The independent DS marque was created in 2014 from the former DS subbrand and line of models of Citroën cars made since 2009, although it had been separated from Citroën in Asia since 2012.[3][4][1][2]

DS can be an abbreviation of Different Spirit or Distinctive Series, although it is also considered a nod to the classic executive car Citroën DS. The name is also a play on words, as in French it is pronounced like the word déesse, meaning "goddess".

History

The PSA Group originally consisted of three automobile brands, Peugeot, Citroën and the soon dropped Talbot, but none was considered a "premium" brand. Since 1976, PSA has experimented with differentiating the brands by price level, similar to Chevrolet/Buick or Volkswagen/Audi, but neither brand had the strength to justify premium pricing.[5] By launching the DS line, Groupe PSA decided to build on the design heritage of the original Citroën DS (1955–1975) designed by Flaminio Bertoni and André Lefèbvre.

The DS line started with the Citroën DS3 in the beginning of 2010, a small car based on the floorpan of the new C3. The DS3 is based on the concept of the Citroën C3 Pluriel model and the Citroën DS Inside concept car, and customisable with various roof colours that can contrast with the body panels. It was named 2010 Car of the Year by Top Gear Magazine, awarded first supermini four times in a row by the J.D. Power Satisfaction Survey UK, and the second most efficient supermini (Citroën DS3 1.6 eHDi 115 Airdream: True MPG 63.0mpg) by What Car? behind the Citroën C3.[6][7][8][9]

In 2013, the Citroën DS3 was again the best-selling premium subcompact car with 40% of the market share in Europe. The DS series is deeply connected to Citroën, as the DS4,[10] launched in 2010, is based on the 2008 Citroën Hypnos concept car and the DS5,[11] following in 2011, is based on the concept car of 2005, the Citroën C-SportLounge.

According to PSA CEO Carlos Tavares, DS would keep using the same platforms and dealerships as other PSA models, but would distinguish itself from Citroën cars by using "separate manufacturing and engineering standards".[12]

The Icon of DS Automobiles

The DS Automobiles rear badge is a new logo rather than the Citroën double chevron, and all have different styling compared to their equivalent Citroën car.[13][14] This logo has been designed by Korean designer Jin Joo.[15] Citroën produced several concept sports cars, with the fully working Citroën Survolt being badged as a DS.[16] A 2014 concept car, the DS Divine, develops the Survolt prototype as the future sport coupé of the DS range.

China

DS Store in Shanghai, China

In China, DS vehicles have been sold in separate dealerships since 2014. DS models for sale in China were produced by the Changan PSA joint venture based in Shenzhen until May 2020, when the factory was acquired by the Baoneng Group. The DS 5LS and DS 6WR are only sold in China. With the facelift of the DS5 in 2015, the DS brand was also separated from the Citroën brand in Europe,[17] and standalone DS dealerships are planned worldwide.[18][19][20]

DS Store

DS Store in France

The DS Store is the dealership network of DS Automobiles. It was introduced in China in 2014, and in Europe in 2015.

Models

Current

Discontinued

Concept cars

  • Citroën C-SportLounge[21] (2008)
  • Citroën Hypnos (2008), occasionally shown with DS emblem[22]
  • Citroën DS Inside (2009)
  • Citroën REVOLTe (2009)
  • Citroën DS High Rider (2010)
  • Citroën Survolt[23] (2010)
  • Citroën DS4 Racing (2012)
  • Citroën Numéro 9 (2012)
  • DS Wild Rubis (2013)
  • Citroën DS3 Cabrio Racing (2013)
  • DS 5LS R (2014)
  • Divine DS (2014)
  • DS 3 & DS 3 Cabrio Ines de la Fressange Paris (2014)
  • DS 4 Crossback (2015)
  • DS E-Tense (2016)
  • DS X E-Tense (2018)
  • DS Code X (2019)
  • DS Aero Sport Lounge (2020)
  • DS E-Tense Performance (2022)

Sales

Year Worldwide sales
2012 129,000
2013 122,694
2014 118,472
2015 102,335
2016 85,981
2017 52,860
2018 53,265

Motorsport

DS Performance is the competitions department of DS Automobiles, which it claims was established to accelerate the electrification transition of the brand. Although the department doesn't participate directly in motorsport by using partners instead, it assists with technological development of Formula E cars and related marketing activities.[24][25]

Formula E

Andre Lotterer driving for DS Techeetah in 2019

DS partnered with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Racing team for the second season of the FIA Formula E Championship. The team competed under the title of DS Virgin Racing, and finished in third place in the 2015/16 season, and fourth in the 2016/17 season.

For the 2018–19 Formula E Championship, DS moved to partner with Techeetah, ending its relationship with Virgin. The newly renamed DS Techeetah, using the DS E-Tense FE 19 powertrain, won both the drivers and teams championships with Jean-Eric Vergne becoming Formula E's first two time drivers champion. This feat was repeated in the following season with António Félix da Costa becoming driver's champion and DS Techeetah winning the teams title for 2019–20.

The partnership with Techeetah ended at the end of the 2021–22 Formula E World Championship, with DS then partnering with Penske Autosport to create DS Penske from the 2022–23 season.[26]

References

  1. 1 2 "Stellantis N.V. Annual Report and Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2022" (PDF).
  2. ↑ "A new visionary experience of luxury-premium brand DS launches shining with DS 5 and DS 4". DS Automobiles China. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  3. ↑ Robbins, Alex (10 September 2014). "DS brand's split from Citroën confirmed". The Daily Telegraph.
  4. ↑ "Peugeot & Citroen Luxury Brand? Panhard". Car Advice. 18 June 2007. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  5. ↑ "Citroën DS3 first supermini in the 2012 JD Power Satisfaction Survey". JD Power. 24 May 2012. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  6. ↑ "Citroën DS3 first supermini in the 2013 JD Power Satisfaction Survey". The New Zealand Herald. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  7. ↑ "Citroën DS3 first supermini in the 2014 JD Power Satisfaction Survey". JD Power. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  8. ↑ "Citroën C3 and DS3, most efficient small cars". What Car?. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "First Citroën DS4 launched". Auto-Power-Girl.com. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  10. ↑ "First Citroën DS5 launched". Auto-Power-Girl.com. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  11. ↑ "DS brand to drop Citroën badge in Europe in 2015". Autocar. 12 September 2014.
  12. ↑ "Citroën DS returns". Auto Express. 6 February 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
  13. ↑ "Site officiel de la Citroën DS3". Citroën. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
  14. ↑ "Bientôt la grande berline DS. Mais qui a créé le logo "DS" ? – Design – actualité – archives". Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  15. ↑ "First Citroën Survolt Concept". Auto-Power-Girl.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
  16. ↑ "De nieuwe DS 5: symbool voor het merk DS" [The new DS 5: a symbol for the DS marque] (in Dutch). Citroën Netherlands. 18 February 2015.
  17. ↑ Fallah, Alborz (16 September 2015). "Citroën's luxury brand DS to open 160 independent stores by 2020, Australia included". Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  18. ↑ Smy, Damion (15 April 2014). "Citroen DS 6WR (2014) first official pictures". Car. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  19. ↑ "Citroen goes sporty with the DS 5LS R for the 2014 Beijing Auto Show". Car News China. 7 April 2014.
  20. ↑ "DS C-SportLounge | 2005 Concept Car - DS Automobiles". GB - DSautomobiles. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  21. ↑ "Challenge Bibendum: Citroën Hypnos is a monster, but not a scary one". Autoblog. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  22. ↑ "DS Survolt Concept Car | Electric Race Car - DS Automobiles". GB - DSautomobiles. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  23. ↑ "DS Performance, motorsport and Formula E DS Techeetah". www.dsautomobiles.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  24. ↑ "DS Performance" (PDF).
  25. ↑ "How Formula E's oddest couple is shaping up". The Race. 2022-12-02. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
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