Inaugurating its new stage as an electric-only brand, this new model will arrive in 2024, to fight in the affordable premium battery SUV segment. Born as a luxury sub-brand of Citroën, DS made an official appearance in 2009, as a division that in 2014 was transformed into an independent brand with its models, trying to cover a highly contested market niche: premium vehicles at an affordable price. Since this birth, which has already been almost a decade, the automobile industry has gone through the most important change in its history: electrification. And DS has joined the bandwagon of brands that will abandon combustion engines first, as early as next year, when their range will only be made up of electric models.
For this year, DS confirms the launch of an upcoming model that will be manufactured at the Stellantis plant in Melfi, Italy, according to the L’argus website. The new electric SUV will be based on the STLA Medium modular platform, recently inaugurated by the new Peugeot e-3008. DS promises 700 km of autonomy in its highest-end version and aspires to take part in the market from the almighty Model Y.
Lots of design, technology, comfort, and performance in the new DS 8
The new DS 8 will be, of course, an SUV that will adopt the coupe silhouette that other brands have also chosen to differentiate themselves from the competition. Developed under the code name D85 and based on the 2020 ASL (Aero Sports Lounge) concept car, the production version will be positioned, as its possible name indicates, above the DS 7. It will maintain the silhouette of the ASL, with slightly smaller dimensions to reach 4.80 m. Its elevated profile will combine the comfort of an SUV with a moderate height that will favor aerodynamics and, therefore, autonomy.
It will maintain the differentiating design of the daytime running lights that the brand’s latest models sport (the restyling of the DS 7, the new DS4, and the DS9) with a descending line along the edges of the shield. At the rear of the SUV, which projects outwards, some visual details inspired by the Citroën SM could appear, similar to those sported by the ASL. As for the interior, it is likely to include a dashboard projection system, similar to the one featured on the MI21 demonstrator last summer.
The best of Stellantis to stand up to the heavyweights of the category
To reach the announced 700 km, the DS 8 will have a large 98 kWh battery paired with a 172 kW (230 HP) electric motor, similar to the one found in the Peugeot e-3008 with greater autonomy. A more economical entry-level option is also planned for the range, with an 87 kWh battery. Finally, the all-wheel drive variant will have two motors and 289 kW (388 HP) of power.
The motors will be manufactured by Emotors in Metz-Trémery, France, the joint venture between Stellantis and Nidec. The batteries will be supplied by ACC, a collaboration between Stellantis, TotalEnergies, and Mercedes. They will be initially produced at the French Billy-Berclau factory and then moved to the Italian Termoli gigafactory in 2026. The DS 8 is scheduled to be unveiled in late 2024, followed by its launch in early 2025.
Inaugurates the new electric-only stage of DS
DS has announced its intention for a second model to benefit from the Melfi factory’s expertise at a later stage. According to internal sources, this second model is expected to be the second generation of the DS 7, scheduled for the end of 2025. These two electric SUVs are among the four models scheduled by Stellantis for this factory.
In addition to the French models, the future Opel Manta (in mid-2025) and Lancia Gamma (in 2026) are planned to be assembled there. Before this, the all-electric version of the current DS 4 will debut in 2024.
