After several months of scarcity, DS has just unveiled its new flagship, the DS 8, which heralds the start of a new era for the brand. The same large electric saloon also gives us a glimpse of the second generation DS 7, which will change its name for the occasion.
Inspired by a DS N°8
The new top-of-the-range DS takes the form of a long hatchback saloon that borrows some of the codes from the SUV coupé. If the N°8 will be the flagship of the future DS range, its genes will be found directly in the future replacement for the DS 7, which will share many elements with its big sister.
In fact, Stellantis is used to joint programmes where several vehicles are based on the same chassis and share the same assembly lines. This will be the case for the N°8 and the future DS 7, both built on the STLA medium platform and manufactured on the lines of the Melfi plant in Italy. But the sharing of parts between the N°8 and the future DS 7 will go further, as it seems that the entire front section, including the door, will be taken from the second generation of the brand's large SUV, with the differences starting to be seen from the rear doors.
So the exterior style of the DS N°8 should be found on the future DS 7, but we should also find many similarities inside, as it seems that the two models also share the same dashboard, thus promising the brand's future large SUV to offer an interior where simplicity, luxury and technology prevail. Finally, the launch of this second generation will allow the DS 7 to opt for a new name, straight from its big sister, since it should be called DS N°7.
100% electric... but also hybrid
For several years now, DS has been talking a lot about becoming a 100% electric brand, which the new N°8 would embody. This change of era allowed DS to avoid competing with German brands, especially on V6 or V8 engines, which it would never have been able to offer.
However, with the decline in sales of electric cars, far from the levels envisaged at the time, DS would be led to offer on the future generation of DS 7, a hybrid engine that would make it possible to respond to those who were still afraid of electric, even if, like N°8, the future DS N°7 would offer long ranges of more than 600 km.
Just as Stellantis has announced for the future Lancia and Alfa Romeo, both of which will also become 100% electric brands, DS would therefore offer the future N°7 with a simple, non-rechargeable hybrid engine, the performance of which remains to be seen.
In conclusion, the DS N°8 marks the beginning of a new era for DS, one that will not be 100% electric as planned, but will be characterised by a more elegant style and a more luxurious and technological interior. The future DS N°7 will continue the innovations of its big sister, with a similar style at the front, the differences concerning the rear, but these differences would be important. We will still have to wait many months to see this next generation of the DS 7, as it could only arrive in dealerships in the first quarter of 2026.
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