DS To Launch 6 New Electrified Cars By 2023

Citroen's upmarket offshoot DS Automobiles isn't shying away from the race to offer a full range of electrified vehicles. The French car manufacturer has said it's “accelerating the development of electrified cars," with new models to be launched every year for the next six years. That covers both hybrid and fully-electric vehicles, kicking off with the new DS 7 Crossback revealed last month.

The DS 7 Crossback is the firm's first European-market SUV and is currently only available in limited edition La Première guise from £42,650. The rest of the range will go on sale later in the year with a full range of petrol and diesel engines, with prices expected to start at less than £30,000. A hybrid model combining two electric motors with a 200hp 1.6-litre petrol engine is mooted for 2019.

Speaking of the brand's electrified future, product and development director Eric Apode said: “DS is entering the electrified vehicles scene. By 2025, more than a third of DS vehicles sold will be hybrid or all-electric. The performance models will be provided by the hybrid versions and the first in the series is DS 7 Crossback E-Tense - the DS vision of hybrid power with 300hp and a 60km electric range."

The six new electrified models are expected to be a mixture of entirely new vehicles and replacements for existing DS models.

PSA, owner of DS Automobiles, has previously revealed ambitious plans for its new premium marque. DS will be the first brand to receive autonomous tech, starting with the DS 7 Crossback. The SUV will get semi-autonomous systems such as self-parking and a system monitoring its position on the road. By the end of the decade, the car manufacturer says it wants to introduce Level 3 self-driving tech.

Source: DS Automobiles