The DS 3 will return to its hatchback roots for its next generation, which has been previewed by the new F3VER concept.
According to DS design director Thierry Métroz, the decision to produce a low-slung supermini was taken because the brand’s customers rejected another crossover in the vein of the outgoing DS 3.
He explained: “They said: ‘We don’t want any more SUVs. All the new cars are an SUV or a crossover.’ Many customers have been waiting for this and they still love this kind of car.”
Indeed, the outgoing DS 3 has been a sales flop compared with the first-generation supermini. In the Mk1 car’s final full year on sale, 2018, DS registered 3000 cars in the UK, compared with just over 2000 examples of the higher-riding 3 Crossback in 2019 – and that was the crossover’s best result for sales, which have fallen every year since.
The F3VER concept draws more clearly on the original DS 3 in its styling, with similar square rear lights and a two-tone livery. Although some of the car’s features are not expected to make it to production – such as its digital rear screen, which can send messages to other road users – Métroz suggested the car shows DS’s intent.
Its 4.19m length, for example, is only slightly longer than the outgoing 3, and its ‘infinity mirror’ rear lights are also feasible for production, albeit without the animation that is present on the show car.
For now, the F3VER lacks an interior. An updated and fully furnished concept will be shown next year, confirmed Métroz, and the production model is expected to arrive shortly thereafter.
Crucial to the success of the next-generation 3, he said, will be a shorter development cycle. DS aims to have the car ready within two years, rather than the typical four.
Meanwhile, DS will look to reduce the number of parts used in the car’s assembly by 30% – without resorting to decontenting measures such as the outright removal of physical buttons. This will also help to cut costs and improve profitability, both vital assets as DS deals with a dramatic slump in sales.
Development will be accelerated by the new 3’s use of the STLA One architecture, which will be shared with the next-generation Peugeot 208 and Vauxhall Corsa. The 3 will sit lower and wider than its stablemates for a sportier look, said Métroz, and DS is targeting 342 miles of range – with 310 miles as a “minimum”.
As well as gaining a new look, the production DS 3 will be renamed the Nº3, in line with the brand’s other cars.