Citroen locks in first DS SUV

Earlier this week PSA Peugeot Citroen made the seemingly insipid announcement that it will add a third vehicle to its Mulhouse plant in the form of an all-new DS model in 2018 and that the French factory will be upgraded to support PSA's latest EMP2 platform.

That in itself is not surprising given PSA has committed to doubling the number of models in its now standalone DS range from three currently – the DS3, DS4 and DS5 – to six by 2020.

It has not confirmed what those additional models will be, but motoring.com.au understands they will comprise a sedan and two SUVs, and that the first all-new EMP2-based DS model will be a mid-size SUV produced at Mulhouse and exported globally to markets including Australia.

DS already sells an SUV in the form of the China-only DS 6WR (pictured), but that vehicle is based on PSA's old PF2 platform.

Therefore Europe's – and Australia's – first DS SUV will be completely different, at least technically, to China's DS6 when the mid-size crossover emerges from Mulhouse in 2018.

French media reports say the six-model DS family will include a new DS3, which will spawn another all-new, smaller (B-segment, or light-size) SUV – both built at PSA's Poissy plant on a smaller new EMP platform – plus replacements for the DS4 and DS5, and an all-new large flagship sedan likely to replace Citroen's C5, all based on the same modular EMP2 platform that underpins Peugeot's classy new 308.

EMP2 will be the only platform produced at Mulhouse, which moved to a single production line process for existing Peugeot and Citroen vehicles (2008, C4 and DS4) on June 12 as part of a new €400 million capital expenditure program promised by PSA in exchange for a flexible industrial agreement.

PSA said this week that the investment will transform and speed up manufacturing performance at Mulhouse, where production of a third new model was possible in less than a year, following the assignment of two new vehicles to the plant in June 2014.

The recently freed-up production line will be entirely renovated over the next 15 months to integrate the EMP2 platform, which will underpin all future C- and D-segment (small and mid-size) Peugeot, Citroen and DS vehicles.

As part of the 'New Social Contract', PSA has committed to launching at least one model in each of its assembly plants in France over the 2014-2016 period.

The third model confirmation for Mulhouse follows earlier product announcements for Sevelnord, Rennes, Sochaux and Poissy plants, which together helped make more than 971,000 vehicles in France last year – a figure PSA says will be bettered with production exceeding one million by 2016.

"I am delighted about the new vehicle assignment because it stands as recognition of the efforts of all the plant's employees," said Mulhouse Plant Manager, Corinne Spilios, at a special meeting of the factory's Works Council this week.

"Our site is fully committed to achieving excellence and becoming a plant of the future."

Closer to home, the first new-look DS model to arrive in Australia – in the first quarter of next year – will be the facelifted DS 5, followed later next year by facelifted DS3 and DS4 models, while will also eschew the double-chevron Citroen logo for a DS badge.

The updated DS3 will form the basis of an upgraded DS3 Racing hot hatch, which is almost certain to be sold in Australia from next year alongside a locally developed DS3 power-up kit from Walkinshaw.