While the DS 3 E-Tense is struggling to sell, the manufacturer is increasing the offers to attract customers. Free terminal, eco-driving course and car loan, the tricolor firm puts the small dishes in the big ones. But is it enough?
Like all manufacturers, DS Automobiles will have to consider becoming 100% electric. Indeed, from 2035, brands will be banned from selling new thermal cars throughout Europe, as Brussels confirmed earlier this year. And the firm still has a little work to do.
A struggling city car
Because for the moment, it only offers one 100% electric model, namely the DS 3 E-Tense, recently restyled and which for the occasion lost its name Crossback. We were also able to take the wheel of this cousin of the Peugeot e-208 a few months ago. The rest of the range is currently content with plug-in hybrid versions.
However, we know that this engine is also condemned and that it is in any case very harmful to the environment. For the moment, DS does not communicate on the launch of other electric models, especially since the tricolor firm seems to have a little trouble finding a place in this market, especially against an e-208 or a Fiat 500e which are a hit in France and Europe.
With us, just under 1,000 copies of the city car have been sold since the beginning of the year. This is significantly less than the Mini Cooper SE, which sold more than 3,000 units over the same period, despite being older. And it shouldn’t get any better, while the little English will soon be renewed. But how does the manufacturer plan to drive sales up?
Well DS Automobiles seems to have found the solution: to flatter customers. No question of touching the characteristics of the car, which had already been reworked a few months earlier. But the firm decided to make several gifts to all those who would be ready to afford a copy of his electric city car.
Many offers
On its site, the manufacturer details these offers, three in number. The first will allow customers to take advantage of free installation of a wallbox eProWallBox provided by Free2Move. This allows to recharge the city car up to 100% in 5h45 approximately, while everything can be managed directly remotely using a smartphone. Be careful, because this offer is limited to a maximum amount of 1,200 euros.
This gift reminds us of the one offered by Citroën on its ë-C4, which has brought down its price and which also offers the home charging station. Same thing at Peugeot with the e-208, whose LOA rent has also been lowered, subject to conditions. But this is not the only gift offered by DS, which also wants to teach customers how to optimize autonomy in order to reach the promised 400 WLTP kilometers.
For this, the manufacturer offers all those who place an order an eco-driving course “in order to discover and perfect the techniques which make it possible to significantly increase the efficiency of one’s driving“. The latter must be completed before December 31, 2023 and must be reserved with the dealership where the car was purchased.
Finally, customers will also be able to take advantage of the loan of another model from the DS range for a week, within the limit of 700 kilometres. Again, this gift must be made before the end of the year. As a reminder, the electric city car is displayed from 41,700 euros, a price that allows it to remain eligible for the ecological bonus of 5,000 euros.
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