Stellantis wants to compete at a very high level with luxury brands like Bentley and Rolls-Royce by using its French brand, DS, which is a luxury part of Citroën. At the Brussels Auto Show, design director Thierry Métroz told Britain’s AutoCar that the company aims to be as prestigious in the car industry as Louis Vuitton is in fashion.
Those are strong words, especially since Citroën has never aimed for such luxury before. It has produced some luxury cars in the past, and its DS brand now targets the regular luxury and premium market, competing with companies like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi. DS wants to aim higher now.
DS Wants To Be More Premium Than It Is Now
In 2009, Citroën established the DS Automobiles subdivision as a spinoff to produce more luxurious models, similar to the way Acura is to Honda, Infiniti is to Nissan, and Lexus is to Toyota. Since that time, the organization has developed premium and near-luxury vehicles that provide luxury levels comparable to those of BMW, Audi, and Mercedes, but at a more reasonable cost. Consider them to be the French equivalent of Genesis or Buick.
It has since expanded to include a total of five models that are currently available for purchase in Europe and Asia. The company’s ambition is to expand its reach in the long term, as evidenced by its success over the years.
We are premium, but our objective is to surpass the status of premium. Métroz stated to AutoCar, “We are interested in attempting to replicate the luxury experience.” However, he is aware that the endeavor will be tedious, even in their present markets.
We are premium, but our objective is to surpass the status of premium. Métroz stated to AutoCar, “We are interested in attempting to replicate the luxury experience.” However, he is aware that the endeavor will be tedious, even in their current markets.
“It’s a lot of effort because our brand is new. We started it in 2014. It might take over 10 years, maybe even 20 years, to establish ourselves as a luxury car brand. We have to pay close attention to quality and details.”
Some of these goals were achieved with the latest No8 model, which is a compact all-electric fastback sedan based on the company’s Aero Sport Lounge concept from 2020. Métroz stated that the production model will have an interior similar to a Bentley, drawing a lot of inspiration from its overall style and design.
“It’s a very fancy inside,” he said. “Our German competitors focus more on the quality of materials and interior details.” “It’s a sign of luxury,” Métroz added. “It’s not made in Germany for the inside; it’s more similar to Bentley.” It’s not a Bentley, but it has a feel more like Bentley or Rolls-Royce than Audi or Volkswagen.
DS Still Considering The U.S Market
Citroën and DS, along with other French car brands, can’t sell in the U.S. Yet, Métroz still wants to enter the U.S. market, as they mentioned in a December 2024 interview with Britain’s AutoExpress.
In 2014 and 2016, PSA, the parent company of Citroën and Peugeot, told reporters that they were thinking about coming back to the U.S. market. That was about ten years ago, before PSA joined with Fiat-Chrysler to form Stellantis in 2021.
Since then, none of PSA’s plans to come back to the U.S. have worked out. However, the brand still has plans for the U.S. market. As an important part of Stellantis, PSA can now use Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles’ resources in the U.S., especially since Chrysler and its brands are significant in the market.
Before, PSA had no presence in the U.S. because it only included the brands Peugeot, Citroën, and Opel, which haven’t sold cars in the country for many years. Opel used to sell cars in the U.S. under different brand names, like Chevy, Buick, Saturn, and even Cadillac, when it was owned by General Motors. This changed when GM sold Opel to PSA in 2017 after owning the German car company for nearly 100 years.