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Peugeot plans to launch DS brand in US after 2020

Want to get your hands on a new French car? If you live in the United States, you're pretty much out of luck. Mainstream French automakers like Renault, Peugeot and Citroën don't compete in the US marketplace. However, American buyers may get some French flavor in a few years' time in the form of DS.
For those unfamiliar, DS is a brand under the umbrella of Peugeot SA. Until recently it existed as a sub-brand of the Citroën division, but is now being spun off into its own unit, with its own products and aspirations - and those include the US marketplace. This according to Yves Bonnefont, the newly named CEO of the DS brand and top lieutenant of PSA chief Carlos Tavares. "We want to make DS a global premium brand," Bonnefont revealed to Automotive News Europe at the Paris Motor Show where it unveiled the concept pictured above. "And you cannot be global without the US." It would likely take until after 2020 to enact the plan, however, closing out three decades since Peugeot withdrew from the US market in 1991.
PSA Peugeot Citroën ranks among the few largest automakers in Europe, the top ten largest in the world, and certainly one of the largest that does not participate in the North American market. The company recently underwent a shift in ownership and management, bringing the French government and Chinese automaker Dongfeng on board and naming a new slate of top executives. Among the many steps the new ownership and management have taken is to separate the DS line from the Citroën brand.

Citroen spins off premium brand with Divine DS concept [w/video]

With one of Europe's biggest auto shows now just a month away, European automakers are preparing to showcase their latest wares. And since this year the salon is in Paris, you can bet that French automakers will seize the opportunity as well - French automakers like Citroën, for example, which has revealed this new concept car. Thing is, while it's clearly made by Citroën, it doesn't wear the name or any of its badges. The Divine DS concept you see here is being presented exclusively as a DS model, leading a spin-off of the Chevron marque's premium line into its own stand-alone division in Europe much as it has in China. And this concept previews that brand's new styling direction.
The five-door hatch, measuring 165 inches long and 78 inches wide, is about the size of the current Citroën DS4 (which itself is about the size of a VW Golf) but at 53 inches tall sits lower to the ground than the existing pseudo-crossover. Power comes from a 1.6-liter turbo four with 270 horsepower, but the Divine DS concept is less about its specifications than its design.
Sitting low on 20-inch wheels, with spindly mirrors, hidden door handles and no bumpers to speak of, the Divine DS is clearly more show car than production preview. The French automaker describes the design as "spectacular, elegant and enchanting," which may be a bit of a stretch, but it does cut a rather slick profile for an everyday hatchback, with sharp creases, bold angles and a faceted roof design that opens to deploy the rear-view camera.

Tesla Model 3, Ford In Mexico, French Return | Autoblog Podcast #473

Episode #473 of the Autoblog Podcast is here. This week, Dan Roth, Sebastian Blanco, and Brandon Turkus talk about the Tesla Model 3, Ford's most recent production investment in Mexico, the apparent demise of the Cadillac CT8, and a possible return of French cars to the US market. It all starts with the Autoblog Garage and finishes with some of your questions. Check out the rundown with times for topics, and thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #473 Topics Tesla Model 3 Ford Mexico Investment Cadillac CT8 apparently cancelled French cars coming back? In The Autoblog Garage 2016 Subaru Forester 2016 Mazda 6 GT Hosts: Dan Roth, Brandon Turkus, Sebastian Blanco Rundown Intro & Garage - 00:00 Tesla Model 3 - 18:00 Ford Mexico - 44:49 Cadillac CT8 - 49:43 French Cars - 51:22 Q&A - 56:15 Total Duration: 01:02:04 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Feedback Email – Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes