2018 Citroen DS 7 Crossback breaks cover!

Citroen's floundering luxury offshoot, DS Automobiles, will receive a much-needed boost next year with the arrival of the DS 7 SUV Crossback.

Poised for a Geneva Motor Show debut early next month, this will be the French brand’s first foray into the SUV sphere (outside of China, which offers the regional DS 6), which should help give it a much firmer footing internationally.

To do that, of course, it needs to conquer established rivals like the Audi Q5, BMW X3, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Lexus NX, Mercedes-Benz GLC and Volvo XC60, though whether DS has the same cachet as the others outside of Europe remains to be seen.

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Actual details are scant, except that the five-seater SUV is to ride on Groupe PSA’s same lightweight yet strong EMP2 platform underpinning a variety of impressive recent Peugeots and Citroens, including the latest 308, C4 Grand Picasso and upcoming 3008.

That means a variety of four-cylinder turbo petrol and diesel powertrains, driving the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission, as well as a rumoured plug-in hybrid that is capable of travelling up to 50km in pure EV electric vehicle mode.

It is believed that the newcomer is closest in size to the latest Peugeot 3008 SUV. As the latter has been strongly received in Europe, it augers well for DS Automobiles’ aspirations.

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Reportedly, one key difference between the two Group PSA cousins might be the availability of hydropneumatic suspension on some variants. Not only would that move promise class-leading ride comfort, it links the Crossback directly back to an iconic Citroen technology that helped make the otherworldly original DS from 1955 to 1975 one of history’s great GTs. We live in hope.

So when can we count on seeing this intriguing mid-sized SUV? With luxury crossover sales booming in this country, it seems almost certain that the DS 7 Crossback would be under careful consideration for Australia.

If given the green light, expect pricing to mirror that of most rivals such as the GLC, which kicks off from about $65,000 in its most basic form.

Have spy pics of your own? We'd love to see them. Just email them to wheels@bauertrader.com.au