Next DS Flagship Spied With Sloping Roofline, STLA Medium-Based Model Is 100% Electric

As opposed to the four-door executive sedan that Baoneng assembles in China on behalf of the French brand, the alleged successor features a five-door setup. Believed to be christened either DS 9 Crossback or DS 8 Crossback, the high-riding model certainly uses a next-generation platform.

The Stellantis group is committed to selling 100 percent electric vehicles in Europe by the decade's end. As part of the Amsterdam-based automaker's EV offensive, no fewer than four platforms will be deployed in the coming years, beginning with the STLA Frame of the Ram 1500 REV and STLA Large of the slightly polarizing Dodge Charger.

Lower down the spectrum, the Common Module Platform developed by PSA and Chinese manufacturer Dongfeng will be succeeded by STLA Small. Based on the footprint of this prototype, Stellantis decided on the STLA Medium of the Peugeot E-3008 for the high-riding liftback. This intermediary platform has already been confirmed for the next-generation Jeep Compass, which is coming with both electric and hybrid options.

Most likely related to the Peugeot E-408, the DS brand's forthcoming model should pack 210 ponies with a single motor. The dual-motor option is good for 300-plus horsepower, and STLA Medium supports up to 98 kWh worth of battery cells. According to Groupe PSA, the platform further promises a driving range of 700 kilometers (435 miles) in the WLTP test cycle, which is a bit more optimistic than EPA's way of determining range.

Surprisingly close to production spec, the heavily camouflaged prototype resembles the DS Aero Sport Lounge concept from the canceled 2020 Geneva Motor Show. Don't even dare ask why it had to be canceled because nobody would like to experience nighttime curfews again. But as opposed to the coach-style rear doors of the concept vehicle, the real thing is rocking conventional rear doors.

Not exactly a direct competitor to the crossover-type Toyota Crown, the DS 8 Crossback/DS 9 Crossback is expected to premiere in the final quarter of 2024 or in the first quarter of 2025. Gifted with a closed-up front grille, flush door handles, really slim taillights, and fang-like daytime running lights adjacent to the headlights, the weird-looking prototype dons EV-specific tires from Michelin.

Considering that STLA Medium also supports hybrid powertrains, a plug-in hybrid isn't out of the question in markets where battery-electric vehicle adoption lags behind the US and EU. Being a DS, prospective customers are certainly going to be offered higher-quality interior materials than in the upcoming E-408. When Peugeot revealed the E-3008 at the 2023 Zurich Motor Show, the Lion of Sochaux made it clear that its forthcoming electric sedan and the E-5008 will premiere this year.

Stellantis will manufacture the all-new flagship from DS at the Melfi plant in the Italian Republic. According to the Italian-American-French automaker, Melfi gears up for no fewer than five medium-size models for European markets and Middle Eastern markets.