Citroën’s upmarket spin-off marque DS Automobiles has unveiled its new flagship electric executive coupé-SUV – the No 8 – which is set to go on sale in the UK in the middle of next year.
This electric newcomer marks a new model naming strategy for DS – this isn’t the DS 8, but the DS ‘No 8’ – and is the French brand’s answer to premium family cars like the Audi Q6 e-tron, BMW i4, Polestar 4 and Tesla Model Y, the latter being the best selling electric car in the UK right now.
DS says that the car is designed to provide its owner with “absolute” driving comfort, and while the car’s “elegantly sleek” exterior looks more resemble a saloon, the manufacturer describes the No 8 as a coupé-SUV. It sits on large 19-, 20- or 21-inch alloy wheels, and the aerodynamic sloping rear roofline has been designed to provide around eight extra miles of all-electric battery charge at motorway speeds.
The new range will include three different powertrain choices – an entry-level 230hp 74kWh that can complete a 0-62mph sprint in 7.8 seconds, and 92kWh front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive ‘Long Range’ variants that produce 245hp and 350hp respectively.
While we don’t have the full spec sheet confirmed just yet, DS has announced that the front-wheel drive long range can muster up to 466 miles on a single charge (355 miles for the standard model), and that the all-wheel drive ‘Long Range’ can reach 62mph in 5.4 seconds. Speed is electronically capped at 118mph for all models.
That battery range makes the No 8 a class-leader – it’s 80 miles more than any version of the Polestar 4 or Tesla Model Y can provide on a single charge. The DS No 8 also recorded an electrical efficiency (the electric car equivalent of miles per gallon) of 4.8mi/kWh, which makes it one of the most efficient cars of its size.
Stepping inside, the coupé-SUV comes with a ten-inch digital instrument cluster and 16-inch central infotainment touchscreen on the dashboard, as well as a 14-speaker audio system. The boot can hold 620 litres of luggage, and the car can also tow up to 1,600kg of braked weight, which is a fair amount for an electric car.
That just about sums up what we know about the DS no 8 so far. More details, including the UK pricing and trim specifications list, are sure to be announced in the coming months.