DS

Fiat Chrysler (FCA) and the PSA Group have signed a definitive merger agreement. The two companies say they will, in time, generate two-thirds of its sales from just two platforms: one for compact cars, and one for compact and mid-size models. Each platform is expected to generate around three million sales per year globally.

There are reportedly high-level talks regarding a merger of Fiat Chrysler (FCA) and the PSA Group, which could create a new automaker valued at around US$50 billion ($73 billion). Sources have told the Wall Street Journal the two parties are discussing an all-share transaction. Should such a deal occur, PSA CEO Carlos Tavares would lead the newly merged automaker, while John Elkann, and head of the Agnelli family which holds a controlling stake in FCA, would become its chairman.

Euro NCAP has released its latest round of crash results including a range of new models, including the Tesla Model 3, Skoda Scala, Mercedes-Benz B-Class, Kia Ceed, and DS 3 Crossback. The Model 3 impressed with a perfect score in the frontal offset test, and its Safety Assist performance – where it scored 94 per cent, the best yet under Euro NCAP’s most recent protocol.

A camouflaged prototype believed to be the upcoming DS 3 Crossback has been spied again, this time on the tarmac. Said to be based on the PSA Group's new Common Modular Platform (CMP) – which will soon underpin a range of models including the next-generation Peugeot 208 and Opel Corsa – the DS 3 Crossback will rival the likes of the Audi Q2 and Mercedes-Benz GLA when it hits the market sometime in 2019.

The first image and details about the DS X E-Tense concept have been revealed. According to Citroen's spin-off brand, the X E-Tense is a vision of what a "car of your dreams might look like in 2035". It describes the X E-Tense as "sensuous and inspiring" and says it is "in the same revolutionary mould as the original DS".