Is DS the most expensive Citroen? What plan do the French have for the luxury car brand

Who remembers today that in the years 1955-1975 Citroën produced the flagship DS model? In his honor, the French brand later created a model line under this name, which was supposed to be associated with prestige and include the best equipped versions. Until the end in 2014 it was decided DS has become a separate premium brandthis is a French answer to Lexus from Toyota.

– We have not yet reached a mature brand with solid awareness among customers. We want to grow in a competitive market, Beatrice Futcher said at a meeting with reporters in Warsaw. Despite this, DS wants to “steal” customers from premium market eaters like BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The French are proud of it Today, 15 percent of DS customers are former Mercedes owners.

We have the ambition to bring something new to the market. There are already strong premium brands, not only German, but also Volvo and Lexus. There is no need to do the exact same thing. Our advantage is the widely understood “French”. Both in terms of design, craftsmanship and comfort.

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Money.pl asked Béatrice Foucher how to create a premium brand in such conditions, having at your disposal the same engines, platform, multimedia and equipment elements that are also used by Opel or Fiat.

On the other hand, it is very beneficial to use a wide range of ingredients for 14 brands. On the other hand, you need to make sure that your cars stand out from them. We tune our cars in a very specific way to combine driving comfort with driving pleasure We are facing the same mission as Audi, which is different from Volkswagen or Cupra She said.

In 2022, DS Cars has sold more than 45,000 vehicles in Europe, registering an increase of nearly one-fifth. The pillar of its results is the DS 7 model, but – says Foucher – The DS4 compact crossover is expected to drive growth in the coming years.

The sales results of the flagship DS 9 model, a limousine designed to compete with the Audi A6 and Mercedes E-class, are not impressive, and the production of this model is located in China. The decision was made before the epidemic, when the market in the Celestial Empire was constantly growing and craved everything luxurious and luxurious. In 2022, only half a thousand copies of this model will be built there.

The DS 9 is important to us not because of sales volume, but for the message we say: We have a premium car that is comfortable and fun to drive, as Beatrice Foucher emphasized.

In 2022, more than 90 thousand cars in the luxury segment will be registered on the Polish market. cars. According to Wyborkierowcow.pl, the most popular brands were: BMW, Mercedes and Audi. In terms of specific models, the Volvo XC60, Audi Q5 and BMW 3 Series were on the podium.

We will not find DS for cars in our top 10 list. In 2022, the brand has sold less than 900 cars on the Polish market. Compared to 2021, it recorded an increase of 145%. Beatrice Fucher noted that it takes about 20 years to establish a niche for a new car brand in the market.

– Competition has existed in this market for many years, and customers of the premium segment are conservative. They want to maintain a condition that is still determined by the size of the vehicle. They are not interested in changing the “system” – added the head of DS Motors. She added that the average age of buyers in this market is 50-60, although the brand is also trying to attract younger customers.

But you don’t have to look far to find a potential competitor to the DS car brand. This is Peugeot’s sister car from the same concern. You only need to look at the new 508 to see how close it is to the premium segment. And this is in terms of design, the number of technological innovations, equipment, and finally – driving comfort.

Would Stellantis want to keep two French brands so close to each other? – There is no such discussion at all. From a sales point of view, Peugeot and DS do not compete with each other. Our cars are priced higher, we’re gaining customers that Peugeot doesn’t have. If you drive a Mercedes or BMW today, you would not only think of exchanging it for a Peugeot, but also something from the premium class Foucher noted.

Electric mobility is also the way to the future for this brand. In 2028, it plans to offer only fully electric cars. In 2024, the DS 4 will be introduced with an electric motor and a new D-class model with a range of up to 700 km on a single charge. – Showing that range is no longer an issue for electric cars – announced the head of the DS Motor Company.