New DS No7 electric SUV coming in 2025 with trademark French flair

• All-new electric SUV
• Will replace the DS 7 
• Full reveal expected next year

DS has just pulled the covers off its new No8 flagship, but it will soon be followed by the all-new DS No7. It’s set to arrive next year, offering customers a more practical family SUV alternative to the rakish No8 without losing the brand’s trademark comfort, quality and style. 

The new DS No7 will replace the current DS 7 – the ‘No’ bit standing for ‘number’. The DS 7 was poised to be the French brand’s big seller when it launched in 2018, but sales never quite materialised in a way to rival established German brands like BMW, Audi and Mercedes. A clean-sheet design for the new DS No7 could change that, however, along with cutting-edge, fully-electric underpinnings.

What do we know about the new DS No7 so far?

The arrival of the new DS No8 next year will mark a turning point for DS, as it shifts towards electric cars with a fresh design language. The No7 will be very similar to the No8, but will sport a taller, more upright SUV body – a bit like the Skoda Enyaq compared to the Enyaq Coupe.

That should make it roomier on the inside and more suitable for families as a result. Still, Senior Vice President of DS Design, Thiery Metroz, confirmed that the No7 will be strictly a five-seater, with no option for a seven-seater model. Parent-brand Stellantis already offers a seven-seater SUV, the Peugeot 5008, as he explained:

“We don't need the seven seats because Peugeot has one. We don't need another seven-seat car in the global lineup. For aerodynamics, if you add a third row, you need to have a more horizontal roof and you need to have the rear window more vertical. It's very boxy. It’s not good. We want to do something more elegant, more compact and more premium, and the third row is to see a lot of constraints in terms of design elegance.”

Aerodynamics is the hot topic at DS at the moment. The new No8 sports a sleek design to improve efficiency, helping to boost its electric range to a class-leading 466 miles. While the No7 won’t be quite as efficient due its boxier proportions, it’s been designed “with the same philosophy”, according to Metroz.

“We will lower the bonnet, we will lower the roof and we will protect the roominess of the car, compared to the current DS 7”, he explained. The No8 and No7 are almost certain to share styling details, too. That would include the new slim daytime-running lights seen on the No8, as well as its illuminating grille. The No8’s interior should be largely carried over, as well, with a giant widescreen display and a mixture of high-quality materials.

Will the DS No7 be an EV?

Yes – it’s been confirmed that the DS No7 will arrive as a fully-electric model. Under the bodywork, it will use the same STLA Medium platform shared with the latest EVs from Stellantis, including the Peugeot E-3008, Vauxhall Grandland and, of course, the DS No8.

That should give DS No7 customers a choice between an entry-level 74kWh battery or a long range 97kWh unit. The latter has been used to great effect in the Peugeot E-3008, which will travel up to 435 miles on a charge, while the DS No8 has set records with its 466-mile range. The DS No7 probably won’t be able to match that figure, as the boxier bodywork is expected to knock its efficiency, but a range of over 440 miles isn’t out of the question.

For now, only an electric version of the No7 has been confirmed, but Metroz didn’t rule out a future hybrid model. As the push towards electrification has come under question in Europe, Stellantis is planning to keep alternative engine options open. 

“I remember three or four years ago Stellantis said it will be only BEV [battery-electric vehicles] in a few years for all the brands. Now, we don’t know. We have BEV but we are looking to introduce a MHEV mild hybrid for the new generation of DS,” Metroz explained.

“If we want we can do it very quickly without expense because of STLA M. We can save all the design, we only have to change the front bumper for the ICE cooling system. It’s not planned for No8 at the moment but that could change and maybe the company could decide to do it, you know in 2025.”

It’s a decision that could affect future DS models, too, as the brand prepares to update the rest of its lineup. A DS 3 replacement is expected once the No7 has hit the market, and a new DS 9 luxury saloon remains on the cards.

Take a look at what the next DS flagship saloon could look like…