Fresh DS3 to be safer

When Citroen Automobiles Australia launches its facelifted DS3 next month, it will be the first car from the French brand to come standard with automatic low-speed braking technology.

Released in Europe last May, the 2015 DS3 hatch and cabrio will arrive in Australian showrooms in mid-April, fitted as standard with Active City Brake, a reversing camera and parking sensors as standard.

The first application of the PSA group's new low-speed autonomous braking system will see the small premium hatch and cabrio model able to avoid collisions at speeds lower than 28km/h by using a short-range laser sensor behind the rear-vision mirror.

CAA will not announce full Australian details and pricing until closer to the local launch of the revised light-size hatch and cabrio next month, but the upgraded standard safety suite will be fitted to all versions of the 2015 DS3.

The only catch is it will only come with the more upmarket DS3 DSport, which is currently priced from $27,740, following the discontinuation of the entry-level DS3 DStyle (now from $29,740). CAA says the average sale price of most DS3s here is more than $31,000 anyway.

While the base DStyle is powered by a naturally aspirated 88kW/160Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine matched with a four-speed automatic transmission, the DSport scores a more powerful 115kW/240Nm 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine and six-speed manual gearbox.

The engine line-up is yet to be confirmed for Australia, where Citroen has also homologated a range of new engines fitted to the DS3 in Europe.

New additions to the facelifted DS3 range in Europe will include new Euro 6 emissions-compliant BlueHDi 120 and BlueHDi 100 diesel engines with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), which is claimed to reduce NOx emissions by 90 per cent and CO2 emissions by four per cent.

Citroen says the BlueHDi 100 will be class-leading in terms of emissions, producing just 79g/km of CO2, while the BlueHDi 120 emits 94g/km.

Also unlikely for Australia is a new Euro 6-compliant petrol powertrain dubbed PureTech e-VTi 82 ETG. Matched with Citroen's automated five-speed manual Efficient Tronic Gearbox (ETG), it's said to produce just 95g/km.

Citroen is yet to reveal an upgraded version of the DS3 Racing hot hatch, which continues to remain off-limits in Australia.

As we've  reported, the 2015 DS3 is distinguished by new headlights inspired by the Numéro 9 and Wild Rubis concept cars, combining LED and Xenon modules and new first-in-class sequential indicators.

Citroen says that apart from enhanced looks and visibility, the new lighting tech reduces energy consumption by 35 per cent in low-beam mode and 75 per cent in high-beam mode, while the LEDs last up to 20 times longer than halogen lights, with a lifetime of 20,000 hours.

The existing LED daytime running lights compliment the new lighting signature at the front of both the DS3 and DS3 Cabrio, which retain their 3D-effect LED rear lights and chrome finished DS logo in a black embossed DS pattern.

In Europe, selected DS3 models will be available with the choice of a laser-etched dashboard strip and screen-printed rear window.

Exterior body colour options have also been enhanced, with the addition of Pearl White on both models and Belle-Ile Blue for the cabrio, while some models will also be available with new 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels.

Inside Citroen's upgraded rival for the Alfa Romeo Mito hatch, Audi A1 hatch and MINI Cooper hatch and cabrio, the new reversing camera's images are displayed via a 7.0-inch colour touch-screen with eMyWay satellite-navigation.

"CAA general manager John Startari said the safety additions marked a milestone for Citroen's DS brand in Australia.

"As our flagship marque, it is fitting that a DS-badged vehicle is the first to receive the innovative Active City Brake technology," he said.

"The DS3 is a vehicle that is suited to urban motoring and we are certain that the upgraded safety and styling package will enhance the vehicle's appeal with Australian consumers."

Citroen says the  two-door DS3 hatch and DS3 Cabrio have attracted more than 300,000 buyers globally since 2010 – two-thirds of which were new to the brand.

But together they found only 134 homes in Australia last year (down almost 35 per cent on 2013), where the hatch was launched in September 2010, followed by the Cabrio last August.

Next month's facelifted DS3 will be the first in a number of fresh DS models from Citroen, which will launch its upgraded DS5 flagship in September and is also looking at DS6 premium crossover, which is currently only built in left-hand drive configuration in China.

Startari said CAA was "looking closely" at the first DS SUV, which would be Citroen's most popular model in SUV-mad Australia.

"We need to look at the product and we assess everything on a product by product basis. I wouldn't rule anything out. SUVs are top-sellers here so it would be our biggest DS seller."

As for splitting the DS brand from Citroen at a retail level, as the French car-maker has done in China, Startari said: "We have to work within the confines of this market. The two brands are unable to split until it's financially viable."