PSA Group's DS brand going electric by 2025
French automaker's lineup will go all-hybrid and EV in the coming years, and the brand is rumored to be headed to North America.
The PSA Group has announced that its DS premium brand will begin electrifying all new models from 2025. Future models for the French automaker will be offered in hybrid and battery-electric flavors exclusively, with the first such model to be shown at the Paris Motor Show this October.
In a press statement, DS CEO Yves Bonnefont said, "Our ambition is very clear: For DS to be among the global leaders in electrified cars on its market."
Why should this matter to you, North American reader? Because while neither of the PSA Group's Peugeot or Citroen brands have sold cars here for many years, the company has confirmed that it plans to return to return to our market soon.
In fact, the company has already begun developing vehicles to conform to North America's safety and emissions standards, and it is staffing up in Atlanta, where it has located its new North American headquarters. Vehicles from the company's upscale DS are understood to be among its most likely models to bring to the US and Canada.
DS' electrified onslaught starts with the DS7 Crossback E-Tense, a plug-in hybrid version of its new SUV. The company says the crossover will arrive brandishing 304 horsepower and 31 miles of all-electric range (on the European test cycle). While gas and diesel versions of the new model are already on sale, the E-Tense PHEV version is earmarked to hit dealers at the end of next year.
The PSA Group's CEO, Carlos Tavares, previously revealed that the company will offer no fewer than 40 electrified models across its portfolio. The automaker acquired the Opel and Vauxhall brands from General Motors last year, bringing its brand count to five.
For the moment, PS's sole automotive offering in North America isn't a car or truck at all. Called Free2Move, it's an app that aggregates various mobility operations from different companies (including cars, bikes and scooters) into one service. Companies like BMW's DriveNow, Zipcar and NextBike are participants in select markets.