Shanghai 2011: Citroën DS5

The third model in Citroën’s DS line has just been revealed in Shanghai. This time it’s the DS5. At 4.52m long and 1.85m wide with the body of a hatchback it’s hard to know what segment the French carmaker is chasing. With seating for five, the Ds5 is part family hatch, part luxury saloon and features a driving position described as being at home in a GT coupé.

Well, wherever it fits into to the ever expanding auto market categories we reckon the DS5 will look the part. It’s flowing curves and hard creases, somehow, tend to work together quite well. Even if the front end is bordering on being overdone.

The DS5 is powered by Citroën’s HYbrid4 technology and offers 200bhp of diesel-electric power. It’s driven by all four wheels and produces a low-ish 99g/km of those pesky CO2 emissions.

More from Citroën after the break.

 

Daring, radial & assertive – Citroën reveals DS5 in Shanghai

Citroën has revealed the eagerly anticipated third model in its innovative and distinctive DS line: DS5. Designed to express the full extent of Citroën’s ‘Créative Technologie’, DS5 combines ground-breaking style, rewarding driving dynamics and exceptional refinement with innovative engineering solutions.

DS5 is the first Citroën model to feature HYbrid4 diesel hybrid technology, providing enhanced performance and class leading environmental credentials. The advanced HYbrid4 system delivers 200bhp; four-wheel drive capability; emission-free electric power for the city; and an acceleration boost function for the open road – with total CO2 emissions of just 99g/km.

The DS line has already redefined expectations in the supermini segment with DS3, and combines the style of a coupé and the flexibility of a five-door hatchback with DS4. Progressing to the executive segment, DS5 targets customers looking for a truly bold and assertive car with a resolutely modern approach to vehicle design.

Based on the futuristic and magical C-SportLounge concept, DS5 bringstrue technological innovation to its class.

The dynamic exterior reflects a modern expression of status and promises enhanced driving pleasure. Flowing lines, a sleek profile and muscular wheel arches – which wrap themselves around the large (16” to 19”) alloy wheels – give DS5 an undoubted air of refined confidence.

The assertive front end instantly identifies DS5 as a member of the DS family. There is an oversized air intake, a large chrome-finished grille housing the chevrons and a new LED light signature. A distinguishing feature, DS5 boasts chrome-finished ‘sabre’ inserts stretching from the top of each headlamp to the windscreen.

The rear design takes DS5’s on-road presence to yet another level. The car stands firmly on wide tracks, emphasised by two tail pipes built into the rear bumper and highlighted by a rear signature featuring six light guides.

Citroën DS5 is equally charismatic inside, with a remarkable cabin fully consistent with the exterior styling. The driver-focused cockpit features a coupé-like driving position with a near-vertical steering wheel and a wide central console. DS5 instantly fires the imagination. An array of buttons, switches, scroll wheels and toggles are grouped on two central consoles, one low down and one above the driver’s head, ‘pilot-style’. A simple push on the START button brings the interior to life. The colour Head-Up Display projects essential information into the driver’s line of sight and the ambient lighting bathes the cockpit in a heady mix of red and white.

Most importantly, DS5 benefits from Citroën’s expertise in quality and refinement. Each detail has been carefully considered, with premium materials such as fine-grain Club leather and exclusive designs like the ‘watchstrap’ seat upholstery – a signature touch of the DS line that is unique to the market.

Reconciling fun at the wheel with comfort and practicality, DS5 opens up new horizons with pioneering architecture, including:

• A sleek, compact body (4.52m long, 1.85m wide) and a driving position worthy of a Gran Turismo coupé.
• A roomy boot (up to 465 litres VDA) reminiscent of a Sportwagon.
• Five real seats, four doors and all the access and modularity of a hatchback.

For its motor show debut in Shanghai, DS5 appears in a one-off livery as the Citroën DS5 White Pearl. The cabin features ebony-coloured full-grain leather, contrasting subtly with silver-flecked overstitching. Interior detailing includes decorative inserts in Markassa ebony and a highly reflective fascia, created by applying several layers of lacquer. DS5 White Pearl also sports specially designed 20-inch alloy wheels.