Leaked: DS 3 Crossback styling plans revealed

Citroen's DS brand has become the latest victim of a high-profile leak after images of its DS 3 Crossback appeared online months before its official unveiling at the Paris motor show.

Created to go head-to-head with rivals like the Audi Q2, BMW X1, Volvo XC40 and other premium small SUVs, the DS 3 Crossback will borrow much stylistically from the larger DS 7 Crossback, as you can see from this first glimpse of the new baby DS.

But what's missing on the DS 3 Crossback, at least in these images leaked by Carscoop after they were submitted for trademarking, are the flagship SUV's complex Active LED headlights that were evidently deemed too costly for the cheaper DS model.

Set to be on sale in Europe by early 2019, the DS 3 Crossback is expected to soon become the car-maker's best-selling model after rapidly overtaking sales of the much smaller DS 3 hatch.

It's rumoured the French car-maker will debut the DS 3 Crossback in pure-electric form at the Paris motor show, and that the small battery-powered SUV has already been green-lit for production.

Set to come with a range of around 450km, the zero-emission SUV's advanced powertrain is believed to have been developed alongside the next-gen, battery-powered Peugeot 208 that could be badged 'GTi'.

PSA's new Compact Modular Platform (CMP) small-car architecture allows Peugeot and in this case DS to incorporate their next-generation electrified powertrains, whether it's 48-volt mild-hybrid or full plug-in capability.

At Paris, apart from outlining how the brand plans to electrify its models to slash emissions, it's expected DS will also launch conventional versions of the new Crossback powered by both the 1.2-litre three-cylinder Puretech and 1.6-litre THP turbo-petrol engines.

Despite the decline in diesel's popularity, the DS 3 Crossback will also be offered with a 1.5-litre HDi engine.

The move to introduce electrified powertrains follows a declaration by the DS brand that from 2025 all the cars it makes will be either pure-electric or hybrid.

DS says that from now until 2025 it will launch a new car every year and every CMP platform-based vehicle will come with a pure-electric variant, while larger EMP2 cars like the DS 7 Crossback will offer a plug-in hybrid option.

It's thought both the DS 3 Crossback and the forthcoming pure-electric version will help turn around a slump in sales in China, where last year sales of DS-branded vehicles dropped by 38.5 per cent.

The success of the DS 3 Crossback could see the DS 3 hatch quietly dropped when it comes to the end of its model life.

Despite it accounting for two-thirds of the 650,000 cars sold since the sub-brand was established back in 2010, the French car-maker's bosses are keen to shift the model line-up towards more profitable, higher-priced SUVs.

It's still not known if or when the DS brand could return Down Under but recent comments from Citroen's Australian importer, Inchcape, could see the flagship DS 7 Crossback spearhead the premium French brand's local revival.