2019 DS 3 Crossback: new pictures of 'pivotal' premium crossover
DS plots to tackle mainstream with next-generation underpinnings and first EV; it's due for reveal this year
DS will make its biggest assault on the mainstream new car market with the launch of the 3 Crossback, which is due to be revealed at the Paris motor show this October before arriving on roads as an Audi Q2 rival.
Slotting into one of the world's fastest growing segments, the compact SUV comes with promise of attracting new buyers to the brand. It could potentially overtake DS's longstanding top seller, the 3 hatchback, despite costing more to buy.
DS's Paris car will be a fully electric model - used to emphasise the brand's electrification plans - but when the DS 3 Crossback range goes on sale it will also include pure combustion engine versions. This will give it a wide variety of powertrain options, as per the PSA Group's (DS's parent company) plan to broaden the reach of each car it makes.
Using PSA's Compact Modular Platform (CMP) underpinnings, which can be adjusted to eCMP form for electrified powertrains, the DS 3 Crossback is due with a familiar range of turbocharged three- and four-cylinder engines, including the petrol-powered 1.2 Puretech and 1.6 THP units.
The smaller engine will come in the entry-level car, which is predicted to start from about £20,000, which would slightly undercut the Q2 (£21,665) and ensure the DS 3 Crossback costs almost £5000 more than an entry DS 3 hatch.
Although diesel has suffered a heavy sales decrease in recent months, demand for the fuel type remains strong enough that its likely the DS 3 Crossback will be offered with the PSA Group's 1.5 BlueHDi oil burner.
The aforementioned combustion engines will almost inevitably account for the bulk of DS 3 Crossback sales, but the launch of an all-electric version - DS's first - will set the premium French brand on a path laid out by its parent company to become a builder of only electrified cars from 2025. The DS 3 Crossback EV will therefore be a pivotal model in the brand’s future growth plans.
DS plans to launch a new car every year between now and 2025, with each one arriving with an electrified variant. CMP-based cars will spawn EV variants, while larger models based on EMP2 underpinnings, such as the larger 7 Crossback, will use hybrid drivelines.
Autocar understands that the DS 3 Crossback could eventually indirectly replace the 3 hatch, which only comes in three-door form, but this wouldn’t happen until that model reaches the end of its life cycle.
A spokesman told Autocar that “profitability is key” with regard to the future range, suggesting that the future DS line-up will lose models that are not based on its CMP (and ECMP) or EMP2 structures. This mirrors streamlining plans for the wider PSA Group.
DS is also pushing to emphasise its premium rank within the PSA Group – which also includes Peugeot and Citroën, as well as the recently acquired Vauxhall/Opel – by applying a completely bespoke design language to its models.
DS first showed its new look with the new 7 Crossback. Sightings of 3 Crossback development cars suggest the smaller model will inherit much of that car’s design, including its slim lights and wide-mouthed front grille.
Peugeot has demonstrated the effectiveness of launching SUV models; its strong sales growth represented more than two-thirds of PSA’s 2017 sales. DS’s more expensive products mean it is unlikely to challenge for the top spot, but executives will be hoping the 3 Crossback can turn the company’s recent sales downturn on its head.
Demand for DS models declined by a significant 38.5% last year, largely due to a heavy decrease in sales in the Chinese market.
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