Citroen has revealed the Divine DS concept ahead of its Paris Motor Show debut - and possibly hinted at the separation of the Citroen and DS names. The two brands are already marketed distinctly in China and with the Divine DS showing no sign of Citroen badging anywhere on its shapely form it's thought that the strategy could soon be introduced to Europe too.
The Divine DS is not based on an existing car and Citroen says it does not preview a future model, instead indicating the styling direction of all DS cars.
A new corporate grille, diamond patterned and trimmed in chrome, is unlike anything seen in the DS range before. Flowing seamlessly into recessed headlights this could be the face of DS to come. The lamps themselves are also a bit special as Citroen seemingly joins Audi and BMW in the laser lights war, using them both in the headlights and the indicators.
Personalisation is one of the key features on the Divine, or rather it isn't. Simple personalisation is not enough and instead Citroen has come up with something called 'Hyper-typage'. Said to have been inspired by haute couture fashion and featuring premium materials more usually seen on the runway than the motoring world the concept uses three interchangeable 'themes' for the interior.
Changing on the dashboard and door cards, the themes ('Male' uses natural carbon fibre and leather; 'Parisienne Chic' has ivory leather, silk satin and crystals; while the 'Fatale Punk' version has black padded leather and Swarovski Crystal Fabric, embedded with millions of tiny crystals) can be swapped out in 15 minutes "to suit the appropriate ambience."
The Divine DS also does without silliness such as analogue clocks or even TFT units, instead employing a holographic display that can project a 3D readout that lets the driver view navigation information, for example, without taking their eyes off the road. The rear-view mirror has also been replaced by a 10.4-inch screen that also acts as the display for the Divine's infotainment system.
Anything else?
Talk of holographic displays and TV screens for a mirror may lead you to suspect that the Divine DS packs a powerplant powered by fairy dust. Instead it is a turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine, which seems kind of dull in comparison. However, this engine is related to the unit that powers the Peugeot RCZ R and produces a not insubstantial 270hp.