DS has just ended production of its DS 4 and 5 models as part of the company's plan to move to a "new product phase."
The two models from PSA's luxury brand won't be disappearing from showrooms for a while yet though, as there's still what the manufacturer refers to as an "extensive supply" of models already built waiting for new homes. But these are the early stages of a particularly aggressive plan the company has to turn around its shrinking global sales, which fell by a worrying 38.5 percent in 2017.
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To put things into some sort of perspective, just 11,746 DS 4s were sold across Europe during 2017. That's a staggering 470,431 units less than the class-leading Volkswagen Golf, although it's still more than the 8,419 Lexus CT 200s that were sold and that model is perhaps a better comparison to the DS 4. Meanwhile, the DS 5 sold just 5,738 examples in Europe.
Speaking to the UK's Autocar publication, a spokesperson from DS claimed there were factors other than the poor sales figures contributing to the decision to end production of the 4 and 5. It's said the decision was part of a "new product phase" that's been underway since the company's current flagship DS 7 Crossback arrived last year.
DS said of the move: "It was always planned that DS 4 and DS 5 production would end in 2018 as part of this new plan. This plan will also see the reveal of a new all-electric compact model at the Paris motor show that will get our electrification plans going."
The move to cut the DS 4 and might not be as significant as Ford axing all its sedans and hatchbacks in the US, but it's still a big indication of how vehicles that are not SUVs are struggling to find buyers right now.
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Details are thin on the ground at the moment, but it's believed the compact EV the DS spokesperson referred to will be an all-electric version of the upcoming DS 3 Crossback. It won't arrive until after the first electrified DS model, which is the 7 E-Tense plug-in-hybrid that's due to arrive in showrooms early next year.
Plenty more changes are in the pipeline for the DS brand, including reducing the number of dealerships and making them DS-exclusive instead of being twinned with PSA sibling Citroën.
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