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Citroen's luxury brand, DS Automobiles, is planning to launch six major new models in the next six years, and wants to dramatically ramp up the number of plug-in hybrids and pure electric models that it sells. That electric technology will draw on DS Automobiles' experience of running a race-winning Formula E electric car racing team, and with its experimental E-Tense electric sports car.
Don't expect to see a production version of the gorgeous E-Tense any time soon (although DS says it's certainly not off the table entirely) but E-Tense will become the brand name for DS' electric efforts in the future, which are expected to make up more than one third of sales by 2025.
The first DS to benefit from electric power will be the new DS 7 Crossback SUV, an Audi Q5 rival which launches late this year, and which has already been seen ferrying France's new president Emmanuel Macron, to his inauguration.
The DS 7 will use a combination of a 200hp 1.6-litre petrol turbo engine, an eight-speed automatic, and two 80kW electric motors closely related to that used in the DSV-02 electric racing car, for a combined 300hp with four-wheel drive. Plug in and charge up, and DS claims that the DS 7 will go for 60km on just electric power. DS hasn't yet revealed performance or emissions figures, though.
Eric Apode, DS Product and Development director, commented: "DS is entering the electrified vehicles scene. By 2025, more than a third of DS vehicles sold will be hybrid or all-electric. The performance models will be provided by the hybrid versions and the first in the series is DS 7 Crossback E-Tense - the DS vision of hybrid power with 300hp and a 60km electric range".
Xavier Mestelan Pinon, DS Performance director, explained: "A competition series involving all-electric race cars obviously makes an ideal testing environment for our forthcoming technologies. With each successive race or test-session, we're accelerating this development and every new component to achieve a better understanding of how to optimise the electric motor drivetrain and the management of energy in particular with cooling in mind. One of the challenges of the DS Performance team is to fully master component durability, for the power controller in particular at 700V [Formula E cars use this higher voltage setting, compared to around 400V for most current electric cars], while ensuring it delivers better operational efficiencies."