2022 DS 3 Crossback Louvre special edition revealed

French luxury brand DS is commemorating the historic Louvre Museum in Paris, which houses the Mona Lisa and other world-famous arts.

The 2022 DS 3 Crossback Louvre is a limited-edition variant of the Peugeot-based small SUV, with numerous styling tweaks and hundreds of digitised art pieces on the infotainment system.

Unfortunately, a re-introduction of the premium DS marque – spun-off from the Citroen range in 2015 – was effectively ruled out for Australia by local officials in late-2018 (with no recent plans), meaning the DS 3 Crossback remains limited to Europe and China.

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Hints of the museum are shown through unique ‘Louvre’ badging on the bonnet, doors and tailgate, along with pyramid etchings on the darkened grille, door mirrors and 18-inch alloy wheels.

DS will offer the 3 Crossback Louvre in four monochrome colours, with each including a black roof to visibly lower the roofline of the vehicle.

The interior also receives tweaks, including black ‘watch strap’ Nappa leather on the seats, dashboard and door panels. The steering wheel has also been hand-covered in leather, with ‘pearl’ stitching and embossed inserts.

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A laser engraving of the pyramid logo is included on the gear shifter, while the dashboard is also adorned by Louvre badging.

As with the regular DS 3 Crossback range, the Louvre includes a 10.3-inch infotainment system. However, the software has been modified to include 182 artworks displayed at the iconic museum – including the Mona Lisa, the Wedding at Cana and the Egyptian statue of the Seated Scribe.

Each artwork is displayed on a weekly basis or through a search engine, with each work accompanied by an included podcast that delves into its origin.

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The 2022 DS 3 Crossback Louvre is available in the United Kingdom with a turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder – available in 95kW and 115kW tunes – and a 100kW pure-electric powertrain with up to 300km of real-world driving range.

Pricing kicks off from £34,420 (AU$65,630), with the flagship all-electric ‘E-Tense’ variant listed at £40,800 (AU$77,790).

In a bid to stay afloat amongst a sea of Stellantis-owned brands, DS is poised to go all-electric from 2024, utilising the STLA Medium architecture.