Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
DS Automobiles, the premium brand established by PSA Peugeot-Citroen, is preparing to launch its first SUV in Europe.
Named DS7, it is expected to be unveiled at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. The SUV was spotted by our spy photographers while being tested in winter conditions. Unlike other prototypes featured in this segment of our web page, the DS7 is a production-ready model that was going through the winter testing procedure in its final form.
From a design and technical point of view, the French are not expected to change anything else on the DS7 that you can see in the photo gallery. Minor modifications in settings could happen, but ever those are less likely at this stage of the development process. The DS7 was already seen in China without any camouflage, but its European brother is different from a styling point of view: different headlights, a modified front end, and many more changes.
The European model is also different from its Chinese sibling in many other aspects, which include technical changes. The Europeans will get a broad array of engine options that are not offered in China in the same configuration, and the tech features could also be different between these markets.
It is important to note that the SUV sold in Europe is being built on the Old Continent, while the Chinese model is made by PSA Peugeot-Citroen with its local partners at Dongfeng.
Another indication of the fact that this prototype is close to production specification is its intricate and deceitful camouflage pattern. While the vinyl layer is thin, it has a disordered pattern on it that is employed to create an optical illusion. Instead of “seeing” something else if you look at a particular point for too long, you could wind up with a mild headache, because all of those triangles lead nowhere.
The vehicle is covered up to this extent because the French company wants to keep it under wraps until it reaches the floor of Europe’s first important motor show of the year. There’s a small likelihood that it will not be unveiled in Geneva this year, but you never know until it is officially announced.
From a design and technical point of view, the French are not expected to change anything else on the DS7 that you can see in the photo gallery. Minor modifications in settings could happen, but ever those are less likely at this stage of the development process. The DS7 was already seen in China without any camouflage, but its European brother is different from a styling point of view: different headlights, a modified front end, and many more changes.
The European model is also different from its Chinese sibling in many other aspects, which include technical changes. The Europeans will get a broad array of engine options that are not offered in China in the same configuration, and the tech features could also be different between these markets.
It is important to note that the SUV sold in Europe is being built on the Old Continent, while the Chinese model is made by PSA Peugeot-Citroen with its local partners at Dongfeng.
Another indication of the fact that this prototype is close to production specification is its intricate and deceitful camouflage pattern. While the vinyl layer is thin, it has a disordered pattern on it that is employed to create an optical illusion. Instead of “seeing” something else if you look at a particular point for too long, you could wind up with a mild headache, because all of those triangles lead nowhere.
The vehicle is covered up to this extent because the French company wants to keep it under wraps until it reaches the floor of Europe’s first important motor show of the year. There’s a small likelihood that it will not be unveiled in Geneva this year, but you never know until it is officially announced.
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