PSA's DS 9 launches in Europe with 2 plug-in hybrid options

PARIS -- Sales of the DS 9 midsize sedan start in Europe this month, with a choice of two plug-in hybrid powertrains and one gasoline engine

The sedan's price in France ranges from 47,700 euros ($56,800) to 80,000 euros.

The DS 9 is built on an extended-wheelbase version of the PSA Group EMP2 architecture that underpins the Peugeot 508 and other compact and midsize vehicles. The sedan is produced in China and launched in that market earlier this year.

DS, PSA’s premium brand, says it will sell the DS 9 in 40 countries. 

It is the third vehicle designed expressly for DS, following the DS 7 Crossback compact SUV, launched in 2018, and the DS 3 Crossback small SUV, which came on the market in 2019. Earlier DS vehicles were adapted from Citroen models. 

A DS 4 compact vehicle is expected to be revealed shortly, as the brand promised it would launch a new model every year for six years, starting with the DS 7.

The DS 9 is available with three powertrains in Europe: 

• A 225 hp turbocharged 4-cylinder gasoline engine, with CO2 emissions of 130 gram per kilometer  
• A 225 hp plug-in hybrid with an 11.9 kilowatt-hour battery that can drive 48 km (30 miles) in electric-only mode, with emissions of 37 g/km
• A 360 hp plug-in version with four-wheel drive, similar to the powertrain in the new Peugeot 508 Sport Engineered (Final emissions have not been published)

DS says it will add a 250 hp plug-in hybrid powertrain in the future.

Pricing starts at 47,700 euros for the gasoline-only powertrain with an automatic transmission. The 225 hp plug-in hybrid version starts at 54,000 euros, with the 360 hp E-Tense 4x4 model starting at 65,500 euros and topping out at 80,000 euros. 

Although the DS 9 will be produced in China, DS says the four-wheel-drive versions will be “finished” at PSA Group’s factory in Poissy, France, near Paris. This high-performance option combines two electric motors, with output equivalent to 110 hp and 113 hp, with a 200 hp gasoline engine. 

Standard and optional comfort, safety and convenience features include Drive Assist, a Level 2 driving aid that allows the car to pilot itself with no input from the driver under certain conditions; Active Scan Suspension, which uses a front-facing camera to scan the road and then adjust damping to conditions; and night vision, which uses an infrared camera to detect objects in the road ahead.