As if there aren’t enough good reasons to be Facebook friends with Citroën, here’s a new one: Yesterday, that’s where the French automaker posted some teaser images of what’s assumed to be their new DS9 flagship luxury sedan.
First previewed as the Citroën Metropolis concept at the 2010 Shanghai Expo, the new DS9 is expected to debut at the Beijing Motor Show next month. That’s a strategic move, in line with Citroën’s strong and growing presence in China. As of 2010, it became parent company PSA Peugeot Citroën’s largest market outside of France.
The DS9 will top the automaker’s Chinese range, competing against the popular Audi A8 and Mercedes S Class. Autocar reports that the car will be part of a three-vehicle lineup that won’t initially be sold outside of China, though a European release may happen eventually. It’s sadly certain that we’ll never see a DS9 in the US.
At this point, details about the new DS remain extremely scarce. The Metropolis concept featured a plug-in hybrid drivetrain and suicide doors, but that was two years ago. We’re not sure what lies beneath the DS9′s hood or how it’s rear doors will be hinged. We don’t even know what the back of the car looks like, though from the reflection on the roofline it appears the car may have a profile similar to a Porsche Panamera.
If, indeed, the images are of a new range-topping DS9, it will follow in the footsteps of the original, legendary DS. Produced from 1955 to 1975, the car gained the nickname “goddess” not only because of wordplay on its model name (“goddess” is “déesse” in French) but because it melded sexy sheetmetal with revolutionary technology.
Even though passing years have revealed that such advancements as hydropneumatic suspensions quickly deteriorate from groundbreaking to plain-old broken, the design of the original DS remains both gorgeous and timeless. For the sake of the wealthy Chinese industrialists who get to be driven around in one, we hope the new model will live up to its namesake.
Images: Citroën
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