DS, the French luxury brand, is gearing up for the launch of its new DS 8 premium crossover, an electric model which will, in big-battery form, boast a one-charge range of up to 750km.
Except it’s not the DS 8 anymore…
So, why is it not called DS 8 anymore?
Because DS is now changing the way it will badge all of its future models, and it seems to be taking at least a little inspiration from a certain well-known French perfume brand - you know, the one that Marilyn Monroe used to wear instead of pyjamas.
So, this new model from DS will be called DS No.8. Actually, technically, it will be called DS N°8 because N°is how you write the abbreviation for ‘number’ in French. Or, if you want to full Jean-Paul Belmondo, you could say ‘numéro huit.’
Will this be rolled out to the rest of the DS range?
Yes, and eventually, they’ll all be called No.1, No.2, No.3 or whatever. It probably won’t be applied to the current DS 7 and DS 3, as they will be going out of production soon, and the DS No.8 is the replacement for the DS 9 saloon, so that won’t be getting it. The current DS 4 will probably be re-badged as DS No.4 when it gets a big facelift (and an all-electric option) next year.
DS wants to see this No. renaming thing as a bit of a break from what it’s been doing up till now, a reset for the brand if you will, which might at last allow DS to truly live up to its image as a decadently luxurious French rival to BMW and Mercedes.
Other than the badge, what else is new about the DS No.8?
DS has shown off the interior of DS No. 8 (we’ve seen the exterior previously, but only in disguised form so far), and while it’s clearly an evolution of the style of the current lineup, there are some key differences. The big central screen is very wide but slim from top-to-bottom and seems to float in front of a backlit dashboard. The driver’s instrument panel is on a new crystalline-shaped screen and that sits behind a rather dramatic new steering wheel. That wheel features an X-shape motif, which may reference the propellers of France’s pioneering days in aviation. Or maybe that’s just our imagination in overdrive…
Beneath the screen is a row of haptic shortcut buttons, and down on the centre console - as well as a large wireless phone charging pad - there’s some very distinctive LED backlighting, repeated on the doors and the grilles for the stereo speakers.
The DS No.8 - sorry, N°8 - will be revealed in full soon.