DS, the upmarket French brand, will broaden the user-chooser appeal of its range with a pair of low-tax electrified SUVs from summer 2019, with an all-electric DS 3 Crossback being joined by a PHEV version of the 7 Crossback.
By 2023, a further four all-new DS models will have joined the premium line-up, including a new large luxury saloon, but don’t expect diesel versions to be available for long – the marque plans to discontinue them by 2025 at the latest.
DS 3 Crossback: all-new electric small SUV
Given the ever-growing popularity of SUVs, it’s no surprise that the next generation of DS’s smallest range will become a five-door crossover. What wasn’t expected is that it will be initially launched purely as a battery electric vehicle (BEV), with no conventional engine.
Expected to be badged DS 3 Crossback E-Tense when it reaches showrooms in summer 2019, the all-electric small SUV will ride on the same underpinnings that will be shared with other models produced by PSA (DS’s parent company), including electric versions of the next-generation Peugeot 208 and Vauxhall Corsa.
There’s no word yet on pricing, but given the DS price premium, and that fully electric cars still cost more than more conventional equivalents, expect it to be around the £35,000 mark.
What else do we know about the 2019 DS 3 Crossback?
Not a lot at this juncture, other than it will be revealed at the 2018 Paris motor show, but we’re expecting the styling to be bolder than that of the larger 7 Crossback. That’s likely to mean a front end that mimics the recent DS E-Tense concept car (below), with an interpretation of the ‘shark fin’ shape in the side windows like the current DS 3.
It won’t be electric-only, either. PureTech petrol- and BlueHDi diesel-engined versions will also be available, alongside petrol-electric plug-in hybrid (PHEV) 3 Crossbacks.
Don’t expect the diesels to be available for the entirety of the DS 3 Crossback’s life-cycle, though. Not only is the brand committed to phasing them out by 2025, DS’s senior vice president, Eric Apode, confirmed to Parkers that the cost of producing small PHEV cars will be lower than diesel-engined equivalents ‘within two to three years’ of spring 2018.
The more cost-effective they are to produce, the lower the P11D values of PHEVs will be.
DS 7 Crossback PHEV from 2019
Joining the existing range of petrol- and diesel-engined 7 Crossbacks from summer 2019 will be a petrol-electric PHEV.
Once again, this technology will filter through to the Citroen, Peugeot and Vauxhall sister brands relatively quickly, but given DS’s positioning as the technical trailblazer within the group, it makes sense for it to lead the charge.
As with the DS 3 Crossback, details of the 7 Crossback PHEV are scant so far, but it has been confirmed that as well as a combined power output of 300hp, it will have an electric-only range of 31 miles. For those who have longer commutes, that electrical energy can be stored until a city is reached, allowing for zero-emission motoring in urban environments.
Again, this won’t be inexpensive technology, at least to begin with: early indications are that P11D values for the Performance Line version will likely be in the region of £57,000.
