The French got inspired by Jaguar to take on the ultra-luxury segment with the DS sub-brand.
Carlos Tavares had a lot of interesting ideas before he helped to merge PSA with FCA to create Stellantis and one of them was to spin off DS as a new luxury sub-brand. For a while this seemed like it might have been a good idea. Citroën’s rich automotive legacy had been diluted over the years with the brand’s increased focus on the mass market. It made some sense to use ‘DS’ to designate models aimed at the premium segment as Citroën’s most legendary vehicle was called the DS and they had been selling a few upmarket models with the DS prefix, such as the Citroën DS3 and DS5. These vehicles were then parked under the DS brand as the DS 3 and DS 5, later joined by the DS7 Crossback.
The DS brand was originally intended to compete against Germany’s Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW. However, after nearly a decade things are being reconsidered. Instead of taking on the premium segment, DS is now being repositioned to take on the ultra-luxury segment alongside Bentley and Rolls-Royce – something Jaguar has been repositioning itself to do. Why the change? Well, the premium segment sells in lower volumes but has higher profit margins per vehicle sold. Take that into the ultra-luxury segment and you have an even larger profit margins per vehicle sold. It’s a move that only makes sense when the brand can’t compete at a lower pricing their but has enough clout to move itself up a rung in the ladder. The question is this: does DS have the brand clout to fight Bentley and Rolls-Royce?
As inspired as they may have been by Jaguar taking the “leap into luxury”, DS may find itself struggling. French carmakers have a very impressive history of technical innovation, but over the years this reputation has made way for conservatism and dynamism – the modern day French vehicle is positively German in most aspects, save design. While there are those who experienced French cars from the 1980s and 1990s that oozed a certain Jamiroquai (or however you spell that silly French phrase), these were never ultra-luxury cars. What’s more, the younger crowd may not even recognise the ‘DS’ brand and I honestly do not blame them at all. It arrived in 2015 and utterly failed to make its mark despite having a couple of really interesting looking vehicles.
It’s not all doom and gloom. Jaguar’s recent marketing stunt shows that there’s room for an ailing car brand to suddenly enter the public’s consciousness. Perhaps if the French can pull something off they may have something worth talking about and maybe even worth buying to a handful of millionaires.
