Photo: original photo by autoevolution
PSA chief executive officer Carlos Tavares announced back in March that he's considering to transform Citroen's DS line of models into a stand-alone brand. The exec's intention will differentiate DS nameplates more than ever from other Citroen models and that piece of info has been finally confirmed today.
In the first half of the year, global sales volume of the DS brand took a huge dive, with European sales dropping by more than a fifth over the same period of 2013. Only China and other Asian countries posted sales increases. The cold hard fact is that something has to be changed for the DS brand to up its premium credentials and stop losing money.
Speaking to British publication AutoCar, Tavares finally confirmed what he's been cooking for six months now: "From 2015 DS will be disconnected from Citroen. We don't need to have separate platforms, or even separate dealers, but we will have separate manufacturing and engineering standards." It would be really nice to actually get a DS3 or DS5 with better materials and fit & finish, but we'll see if that happens next year.
Tavares added that the automotive group's main aspiration is to make the stand-alone DS brand just as desirable as Audi. "DS can be an Audi rival by 2020," the chief exec declared. But Tavares isn't aiming for that premium feel you get on a German car. Instead, he wants "to convey a French sophistication, trendiness and the French way of life. The Germans can't do this and we'll see some concept cars that will back this up."
Well, concepts and made-for-China models won't get you there. If you want to make it big, we suggest to step up your game considerably. French sophistication, trendiness and the French way of life won't cut it. In other news, the Frenchies will debut the cool Divine DS concept at the 2014 Paris Motor Show.
Speaking to British publication AutoCar, Tavares finally confirmed what he's been cooking for six months now: "From 2015 DS will be disconnected from Citroen. We don't need to have separate platforms, or even separate dealers, but we will have separate manufacturing and engineering standards." It would be really nice to actually get a DS3 or DS5 with better materials and fit & finish, but we'll see if that happens next year.
Tavares added that the automotive group's main aspiration is to make the stand-alone DS brand just as desirable as Audi. "DS can be an Audi rival by 2020," the chief exec declared. But Tavares isn't aiming for that premium feel you get on a German car. Instead, he wants "to convey a French sophistication, trendiness and the French way of life. The Germans can't do this and we'll see some concept cars that will back this up."
Well, concepts and made-for-China models won't get you there. If you want to make it big, we suggest to step up your game considerably. French sophistication, trendiness and the French way of life won't cut it. In other news, the Frenchies will debut the cool Divine DS concept at the 2014 Paris Motor Show.
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