When you think of France, what comes to mind? It is the 2018 World Cup winner, the capital of freedom in Paris, the lavender of Provence, the internationally famous brand LV, or the French car that is in the limelight. When it comes to French cars, the most familiar is Citroën and Peugeot under the PSA Group, which exist like totems in the hearts of many car fans. Peugeot, in particular, is renowned all over the world for its avant-garde and stylish design and excellent chassis tuning.
In addition, above them are DS cars, and when it comes to DS cars, they can be described in eight words: "Before you see their cars, hear their names first." DS Auto is the top design luxury brand in the French automotive industry, which is very popular with French dignitaries and is known as the "presidential car".
It is worth mentioning that the French full name of DS is Déesse, which means "goddess" in French. However, the DS car, which was born with a golden spoon, did not receive a large market response because of its noble status and romantic name. In particular, the domestic market has always been not stuffy, and even ridiculed by netizens as "Diao Si".
According to official statistics, the cumulative sales of DS in the global terminal market in 2020 were only 43,700 units, down 29.5% year-on-year, while in the Chinese auto market, DS's cumulative sales in the whole year were only 425 vehicles, a sharp drop of 79.9% year-on-year.
In 2021, DS Auto launched the DS 9 car in China, which helped the brand achieve relatively "good results" with its people-friendly price and excellent product strength, and its annual sales exceeded 2,000. But compared to other brands, this report card is simply afraid to look at it directly.
Among them, the DS 9 has accumulated sales of 1831 vehicles in 2021, occupying half of the brand, and behind the achievement is still "breaking the bone". Until now, the 2021 DS 9 entry-level version is only priced at 171,000 yuan on a fish, according to its guidance price of 249,900 yuan, the discount is nearly 80,000 yuan, directly hit 6.8% off, the cost performance can be described as very high. But despite this, the sales volume is really not flattering.
A few days ago, DS Auto launched the 2022 DS 9, which seems to want to make a final effort before exiting the fuel passenger car market. However, it is doubtful that only one new car was launched this time, and the price of the 2021 model was increased by 5,000 yuan, which is really puzzling.
The 2022 model launched this time is the 45THP Rivoli Technology Edition, which is based on the 2021 45THP Rivoli Edition upgrade, and they are priced at 304,900 yuan. However, the new model adds two configurations of mobile phone wireless charging and inductive electric trunk on the basis of the Wally version configuration, so who still buys the Wally version? At the same time, the entire series of models has added a Parisian gray exterior color scheme, inspired by the gray roofs of the city throughout the city.
From the appearance point of view, the design of the DS 9 is quite in line with the professor's aesthetics, especially the "tear-eyed" LED strip design used in the front face, which is very personal. The side shape is very slender, visually stable and sporty. The concealed door handle design also enhances the car's sense of technology and automatically pops up after unlocking, making it more ceremonial. The rear shape of the car is more complicated, especially the internal structure of the taillights is slightly "exaggerated", but it is also really good-looking.
In terms of size, although the DS 9 is positioned as a medium-sized sedan, its length, width and height are 4933/1855/1468mm, and the wheelbase is 2895mm, which is still competitive with the general luxury medium-sized sedan.
In terms of interior, the overall layout design of the DS 9 is relatively general, not as stunning as the exterior, and the symmetrical center console and four-spoke steering wheel are slightly old-fashioned. It seems to be a fanciful design, but it does not please domestic consumers, which may be part of the reason why the car is not selling well.
In terms of power, the fuel version and plug-in hybrid version models are available, among which the fuel version is equipped with a 1.6T engine, the maximum power is 215 horsepower, the peak torque is 300 Nm, and the official acceleration time of 100 kilometers is 8.5 seconds.
The plug-in hybrid version is equipped with a 1.6T plug-in hybrid system, the system has a comprehensive power of 249 horsepower, a comprehensive torque of 360 Nm, and an official acceleration time of 8.1 seconds per 100 kilometers. The drivetrain is mated to an 8-speed manual transmission with a front-facing front-drive layout and a front-mounted McPherson rear multi-link independent suspension in terms of suspension.
The powertrain has no advantages, or even disadvantages, compared to other luxury cars, such as the Cadillac CT5, Volvo S60, Lincoln Z and other models are equipped with 2.0T engines.
Before there was no discount, in terms of brand recognition of DS Cars, the cost performance of DS 9 was indeed not high, but after the discount of 80,000 yuan, the full landing price was controlled within 200,000 yuan, which was indeed very fragrant. After all, 200,000 can buy a French high-end luxury car, its shape is high-end enough, although the interior is not very luxurious, but it is basically invincible at the same price, and the wheelbase performance of 2895mm ensures ultra-high practicality.
In terms of configuration, the entry-level model comes standard with 6 airbags, 235/50 R18 front and rear specification tires, cruise control, three driving modes, open panoramic sunroof, leather steering wheel, steering wheel shift, imitation leather seats, main and sub-electric seat adjustment, support for CarPlay, CarLife mobile phone interconnection, 8-speaker audio, automatic air conditioning and rear air conditioning air outlet. The configuration is not rich, but it is enough for daily use.
However, the sales system of DS 9 is still a big problem, there are no 4S stores in many places, maintenance and repair after buying a car are not guaranteed, and it is not certain that the brand will withdraw from the Chinese market one day, which is why the DS 9 offer is so high, and the sales volume is still very low. If there is a 4S store in your location, you may wish to take a closer look.
In general, although the DS car flows with the so-called "noble blood of the French system", but perhaps only the French appreciate it, the Chinese people have always been not interested in this kind of fanciful design, they are more concerned about the brand awareness, driving out can not show the identity, as well as in the quality of the vehicle, fuel saving and maintenance are the most important, followed by the vehicle's product strength and cost performance. If you have a budget of 200,000 yuan, will you consider such a French luxury car?