In recent years, you may have noticed a new brand of vehicle on the roads displaying the DS badge, with some familiar styling and design.
The brand is DS Automobiles, a French premium division of Citroën.
Much like Toyota with the GR sub-brand, Citroën decided to create their own sub-brand in 2009, which at the time was a line of Citroën cars which featured the more sporty and luxurious DS spec and styling. The DS line was built on the design and heritage of the original Citroën DS (1955 – 1975)
The first vehicle in the DS line was the Citroën DS3 in 2010, a small hatch back based on the floorplan of the C3. The DS3 was inspired by the concept of the Citroën C3 Pluriel model and the Citroën DS Inside concept car. This car was customisable with various roof colours, to contrast with the body panels.
It was crowned Car of the Year by Top Gear Magazine in 2010, and the second most efficient supermini (Citroën DS3 1.6 eHDi 115 Airdream: True MPG 63.0mpg) by What Car? behind the Citroën C3. In 2013, the Citroën DS3 had 40% of the market in Europe, making it the best-selling premium subcompact car. Citroën then released the DS4, based on the 2008 Citroën Hypnos concept car, and the DS5 based on the 2005 Citroën C-SportLounge.
In 2014, the DS went from being a sub-brand, to an independent brand separate from Citroën, although the DS vehicles still use the same platforms as other Citroën models, distinguishing itself from Citroën cars by using “separate manufacturing and engineering standards”, according to PSA CEO Carlos Tavares. The PSA group consists of several brands: Citroën, Peugeot, DS and Vauxhall, and previously Talbot.
You’ll notice that all Citroën cars have a DS counterpart, displaying the DS badge and different styling with regards to the wheels, body and interior.