Some readers may remember when Citroen and Peugeot automobiles where available in America more than 20 years ago. Both are part of the PSA Group which is based in France and includes newly acquired Opel and luxury brand DS. PSA Group says it has plans to re-enter the US market in the near future, first as a mobility company and later as a full fledged manufacturer.
Due to be unveiled officially at the Paris auto show this fall, the DS 3 Crossback is a compact SUV with the emphasis on luxury appointments. It will come with a variety of gasoline and diesel engine options, but the one that might appeal to CleanTechnica readers the most is the E-Tense battery electric version. Starting with a 50 kWh battery, the E-Tense features a 136 horsepower motor with 191 pound-feet of torque. A real world range of 186 miles is expected. A full charge can be obtained in 5 hours using a home EV charger or it can get an 80% charge in just 30 minutes using a DC fast charger, according to Motor Authority.
The DS 3 E-Tense will come with a full complement of available semi-autonomous driving features including adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, automatic emergency braking, and automated parking assist. Luxury touches include pop-out door handles á la Tesla that recognize the driver’s key within a radius of about 5 feet. They retract and the vehicle locks itself when the driver walks away. The interior comes with a smartphone charging pad, a digital instrument cluster, large infotainment screen, and a heads up display that projects important information onto the windshield.
Why write about a car that few people in America will ever see? Two reasons. 1.) If PSA Group decides to sell the car in the US, the DS 3 E-Tense will be a stylish compact electric SUV with modest range and modest performance at a modest price, especially compared to the large electric SUV luxoliners coming from Mercedes, Jaguar, BMW, Audi, and others. Customers like choices, especially if they can get a pretty good car at a pretty good price.
2.) CleanTechnica regular reader Are Hansen sent me a story he found in the Norwegian press about the DS 3 E-Tense. Google Translate often struggles with Norwegian and in this particular instance, it came up with this memorable sentence: “Just like the Hyundai Kona, the new DS 3 Crossback gets fossilically driven siblings.” Who could pass up an opportunity to use a line like that?
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