AutoBeta(AutoBeta.net)03/07 Report--

From the delisting of Changan PSA to the takeover of Baoneng, after a period of adjustment, the DS brand has been able to continue production and sales in China by virtue of contract production. And the new car is another product launched by its development strategy in China, which started pre-sale as early as August last year, but the pre-sale price has not been announced for a long time. Recently, the latest pre-sale price of the new car has been exposed.

Recently, a poster about the new DS brand model DS9 has been exposed, showing that the pre-sale of DS9 is open, and the pre-sale price of the new car starts at 2.99999 billion yuan, which means it is much lower than the pre-sale price seen before. Another source said that the new car will be divided into fuel version and hybrid version, with pre-prices of 29.99-349900 yuan and 33.99-399900 yuan respectively.

In fact, as early as August 6 last year, DS brand's new flagship car DS9 officially debuted in China and opened the pre-sale. However, the official did not release the pre-sale price and the detailed configuration power of the new car, but it still started a blind pre-sale activity. Consumers can book a new car with an intention payment of 5000 yuan.

While consumers are booking new cars, they find a pre-sale price of 329900 yuan on the official website page. Although they do not know which configuration price this price corresponds to, such a price undoubtedly makes consumers feel a little too high.

As we all know, it is not only because DS is a French brand, but also because it is an uncompetitive high-end brand in China. In a high market positioning, let this does not have the premium effect of the brand to maintain a very low market sales. Public data show that the entire DS brand sold only 381 vehicles in the Chinese market in 2020. This may be the reason why the DS 9 is reluctant to announce the pre-sale price. After all, the starting price of close to 300000 yuan is difficult for Chinese consumers to accept. This is just a model with a Chinese positioning slightly higher than that of Peugeot 508.

However, from the current market positioning point of view, DS still did not choose to reduce the "identity", still remain noble. Although the design of DS 9 from appearance to interior is unique enough, especially the interior also has a unique high-end style design, a large area of Alcantara material, but no influence but overpriced brand, there is no doubt that it can only be a minority in China. It is also reported that the car will go on sale in China in March this year, but no matter when it goes on sale, the fate of DS 9 in the domestic market is doomed.

Even though PSA uses the DS 9 as a "blockbuster" model, it has been unveiled since 2019. In appearance, the unique and artistic French car design is continued. the family hexagonal grille uses a woven mesh texture, the headlights are connected to the front grille, and the turn lights are located on both sides. The design of "tear eyes" on both sides is similar to that of Peugeot 508 fangs. What is special is that in the center of the hood is a long strip of metal decoration, highlighting the exquisite design of the legal system.

With an overall size of nearly 5 meters, the length / width / height of the body is 4933mm/1855mm/1468mm, and the wheelbase is 2895mm, which can be regarded as a standard medium-sized car, which is very close to the standard 508of PSA. But DS 9 is based on the EMP2 modular platform of PSA Group, which can be regarded as the product of Peugeot 508.

In terms of power, the DS 9 will be equipped with a plug-in hybrid system. The new car's power system is based on a 1.6T engine with a total power of 228hp, with a pure electric range of 40-50km under WLTP conditions and an eight-speed automatic transmission. In the future, DS 9 will also launch a high-performance version of 253hp and 365hp + all-wheel drive.

It is worth mentioning that the DS 9 is a model made and sold around the world from China. It is now available in the European market, starting at 47700 euros (about 379000 yuan), and the top hybrid model is as high as 80000 euros, or about 635000 yuan. These are all made in China.

The pricing may be due to the fact that the new DS CEO thinks the model is a rival to BBA. "DS is an out-and-out premium car brand like BMW Audi Mercedes-Benz, and the DS brand needs a large sedan like the DS 9".

However, judging from the current market positioning of the DS 9, DS still does not seem to have a clear understanding of its position in the Chinese market. Even though the DS 9 is a very unique model in design, the market will not compromise with niche products, especially in the Chinese market, where there is a surplus of brands. Although the DS brand has repeatedly stressed that it will not withdraw from China, but from such a market positioning, it is obvious that there will not be much room for development, and there will still be great pressure for survival in the future. Perhaps it has always been a feature of French cars to applaud or not to call seats.

Welcome to subscribe to the WeChat public account "Automotive Industry Focus" to get the first-hand insider information on the automotive industry and talk about things in the automotive circle. Welcome to break the news! WeChat ID autoWechat