We thought we would discover the new DS roadshow at the
Canton Fair in China. But nothing came out. Will it ever happen one day?
The Canton Fair (China) has just opened. If the majority of
the news concerns the local market, we are interested in some world premieres,
like the Maybach variant of the GLS or the Lexus UX 300e. Above all, we
expected to discover on this occasion a French novelty, the sedan of DS.
The appointment seemed natural for the presentation of this
third DS new generation because it is primarily thought for China, a country
where sedans are still popular. We contacted DS to find out more about this
absence ... but the brand was surprised by our request, pointing out that there
was no announcement on its presence in Canton.
We would, therefore, be embarking on our assumptions and
hopes. But we saw seen at the beginning of the year a document from a
presentation in China, with a calendar on the events planned in 2019, where it
says "New Premium Flagship Sedan", new high-end sedan, for November
2019 with a reference to the Canton Fair!
Remains that in the meantime, DS has sunk into the crisis in
China, with a sales curve now close to the flat encephalogram. In the third
quarter of 2019, the brand has sold in China and Southeast Asia 300 cars! PSA
has decided to stop its joint venture with local builder Changan amid
disagreements over DS's strategy. But the group would have found an agreement
to still ensure the production of its sedan.
And this one is almost ready! The first prototypes were seen
in China earlier this year, and on European roads in September. In September, a
model without any camouflage was immortalized in the Middle Kingdom. It was
discovered then that the car is called DS9 and not DS8 as envisaged by many.
But then, what is the manufacturer waiting to formalize, with or without a
salon?
DS did not want to tell us this morning about the
presentation date. The brand explains that currently, the important thing is
the rise of the DS3 Crossback and especially the arrival of the electrified
versions of the DS3 Crossback and DS7 Crossback, for which tests are currently
organized in Paris.
The manufacturer reminded us that it intends, as expected,
to eventually offer a range of six models.
Yet there is the promise to present a new car a year, a
promise that just repeated Yves Bonnefont in an interview given earlier this
week. The owner of the brand even points out that it is a commitment he made
when he arrived at the helm of DS! The DS7 Crossback was introduced in February
2017, the DS3 Crossback in September 2018. Where is the great novelty of 2019?
Some will remind us that the year is not over. And that's
what DS told us this morning. But just five weeks of Christmas holidays,
impossible to obtain reliable information, which does not reassure. Our eyes
are now turning to the Geneva Motor Show in March 2020.
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