SCOOP DS 3 COMEBACK

DS 3 hatchback is set to be revived to address French brand's sluggish sales, and design boss gives us the inside line

- Phil McNamara

DS Automobiles will revive its DS 3 hatchback as a “sophisticated” and radical car that will banish the brand's poor-selling baby crossover to history.

The first-generation DS3 hatch – launched as a Citroen in 2010 – is the brand's one unequivocal modern-day smash. It sold almost 500,000 units: a stark contrast with today's DS 3, reinvented in 2018 as a baby crossover and currently offered with electric and hybrid power.

“The focus of all my team is the next small DS,” head of design Thierry Métroz told Auto Express at the Brussels Motor Show. “We would like to [recreate] the success story of the DS3 gen-one. We need a high-volume car with a very attractive price and a fantastic design.”

Métroz has led DS design since 2012, with his team's cars becoming increasingly avant-garde and culminating in the dramatic No8 coupé-SUV. Expect elements of that model's eye-catching design – a low roof to boost aerodynamics, two-tone paint, striking lights, clean surfaces – to influence the forthcoming hatchback.

The DS team is working closely with Stellantis's new head of design Europe, Gilles Vidal, who created many of Peugeot's recent success stories before jumping ship to Renault to shape the Renault 4 and Scenic EV. He's working with DS, Peugeot, Citroen, Alfa Romeo and Stellantis's other marques to sharpen each brand's positioning.

“We are looking to create a new design philosophy for this car. We would like to break [design] codes on this project,” said Métroz.