German premium brands still more of a threat than China, says DS

► DS product boss calls Chinese cars generic and clones ► French firm still considers Chinese cars as less of a threat ► Individualisation and design remain at the heart of DS

DS customers aren’t interested in Chinese cars because they look generic and lack the emotion and individualisation of its models, according to the firm’s head of product.

French premium marque DS has been attempting to carve out a niche for its distinctive design-led models for more than a decade, but with limited success outside of its home market.

While the core German premium manufacturers Audi, BMW and Mercedes have long been the thorn in DS’s side, it now faces fresh competition from China. British buyers have quickly accepted these Chinese value brands at low prices, and as such there’s now a push for posher models being introduced from China.

MG has already established its IM sub-brand with reasonable success and BYD is now introducing Denza, with prices upwards of £100,000 stretching the boundaries and perception of Chinese cars.

But at DS, it still doesn’t consider premium Chinese brands as much of a threat.

Speaking at the launch of the new DS No.7, the replacement for its most popular car, the DS 7, Emmanuel Schaeffer, head of product at DS Automobiles, said its customers are ‘less interested’ in Chinese cars.

‘The Chinese are less considered in the premium segment for the moment, at least in our main markets, and the Germans are still the ones with the dominant position.

‘I know there are a lot of brands coming and which want to position themselves against the Germans and us. But our customers are less interested in the Chinese brands.’

DS has long prioritised its designs as the main reason you’d buy its cars, and that’s something it continues to channel with the rather bold look of models like its No.7 and No.8 (pictured above) especially.

Despite this, its sales paint a poor picture in the UK. DS registered just 112 cars in the first six months of 2026, despite introducing a refreshed version of the No.4 hatchback and the new No.8. Compare that to Jaecoo, for example, which registered more than 34,000 cars in the same period, and from the same number of models, and it doesn’t make the best of reading within Stellantis.

‘We still have our own voice,’ says Schaeffer. ‘Chinese brands are for sure offering good cars, and there are competitors we are looking at very carefully, but they’re more clinical and less emotional than we are bringing.

‘Our customers are looking for something they don’t find in other cars. That’s a way of differentiation from both our German and Chinese competitors.’

The product manager also criticised certain Chinese brands for ‘cloning other cars’, and said it was a weakness of them.

‘The Germans still define the premium segment, but if someone buys a DS it’s because they want something different. The generic approach of the Chinese brands, which are cloning other cars, is probably a weakness of them and, at least, for our customers who are looking for this individualisation.’