French carmaker DS emerges as rival to Rolls-Royce and Bentley with new luxury car

French carmaker DS has ambitious plans to rival the likes of Rolls-Royce and Bentley as it launches its new flagship vehicle the No8. 

The slick-looking luxury all-electric saloon is a ‘perfect balance between beauty and performance’, according to the Stellantis-owned DS Automobiles. 

The new motor offers up to 310 miles of motorway range and boasts the best aerodynamics in its class.

And it seems the French-based marque has already got its sights set on big things for the vehicle and the brand.

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DS Automobiles has big plans for its future

DS has previously unveiled its cool glass-floored X E-Tense – a car well and truly built for the future.

But the automaker has revealed it plans to become the go-to brand when it comes to luxury cars. 

Design director Thierry Métroz told Auto Car,  the French marque’s ‘dream is to be the Louis Vuitton of the automotive industry’. Fancy. 

“We are premium, but our mission is to be more than premium,” he told the outlet. 

“We would like to try to touch the luxury feeling.”

The designer went on to say, that he and the team appreciate there’s a lot of hard work on the horizon as he noted that the marque was ‘very young’.

DS Automobiles was created in 2009 as part of Citroën but has been a standalone brand since 2014 and owned by Stellantis since 2021.

The marque has unveiled its No8 luxury saloon

DS Automobiles recently attended the Brussels motor show to give its No8 vehicle it’s first public outing.

“With its sleek and clean silhouette, DS N°8 combines fluidity, elegance and precision,” DS says on its website.

“The sensual and refined surfaces of the sides contrast with the crafted and sharp lines of the front and rear, for a design that is both futuristic and timeless.”

The inside of the vehicle, which was inspired by jewelry, is also a bit special and aims to offer ‘a unique sensory experience’.

With the launch of the vehicle, it seems that the ambitious brand is already considering itself in the same bracket as Rolls-Royce and Bentley.

“It’s a very luxurious interior,” Métroz continued. 

“Compared to our German competitors, it’s about the quality of the materials and the details of the interior. It’s a luxury taste.

“It’s not German for the interior; it’s more like Bentley. It’s not Bentley, of course, but the kind of inspiration is more Bentley or Rolls-Royce than Audi or Volkswagen.”