Citroen DS 5LS Given Customs Clearance

The DS 5LS has received permission to enter Iran following other models of the recently formed Citroen sub-brand.

The DS 5LS is a 4.7-meter luxury saloon based on the same C4-derived platform as the DS5 hatchback and is built in the same Shenzhen plant, on the border with Hong Kong.

The company says the car will compete with the new Audi A3 saloon and VW’s best-selling local Sagitar saloon.

According to Donyaye Khodro, the DS 5LS has been launched in various forms, as the company looks to expand the range of vehicles in different markets.

The sedan is available in 1.2- and 1.8-liter versions with a 1.6-liter turbocharged version also likely to make entry.

The exterior of the DS 5LS is the first bearing the DS brand’s new corporate “DS Wings” nose, which Citroën says was inspired by the “two chrome wings that connected the headlamps of the original, 1955, DS”.

Citroën says the car has the longest (2.71 meters) wheelbase in the C-sector and much of the emphasis is being placed on the car’s interior. Citroën says the cabin uses “luxurious, authentic materials such as metal, wood and semi-aniline leather”.

There are four trim levels, with the entry-level ‘1’ model having a cloth-trimmed interior and ‘2’ and ‘3’ having black leather. The top model gets the semi-aniline leather trim.

Citroën claims that the standard of this leather trim, which is also used on the dashboard, has only previously been found in the cabins of “luxury brands”. The seats of the top-range model are faced with the “watch bracelet” design seen on previous DS models.

Equipment options include an air ionizer (for purifying China’s notorious polluted atmosphere), an audio system that includes a Denon hi-fi and surround sound processor, massaging front seats, airline-style headrests and rear seats inclined at a 29-degree angle.

Other features include keyless entry, blind-spot monitoring, a touchscreen monitor and DVD player.

In 2015, Citroën said it had sold over 200,000 DS models annually in the form of four China-built cars in the DS range.