2023 DS Renaissance In 2021, Citroën and its sub-brand DS became part of Stellantis when their parent company PSA merged with FCA. Stellantis's new CEO gave each of the company's brands 10 years to prove themselves worthy. Using the GM BEV3 platform used for the Cadillac Lyriq as a basis, DS began work on a new executive sedan to replace the Peugeot 508-based DS 9 and Citroën C6. The new car would take design inspiration mainly from the Citroën DS and the 2016 CXperience concept. Like the Cadillac Celestiq concept, which also rode on the BEV3 platform, the Renaissance was a 5-door liftback. The car would use the same 100 kWh battery used in the Lyriq, giving it a range of approximately 350 miles. The concept used a dual-motor all-wheel-drive layout, but a front-motor front-wheel-drive model was also planned. Public reception was strong enough for Citroën to start planning for production. It was planned to be built in Shenzhen, China, replacing DS 9 production there. Citroën would not get a version of the Renaissance, instead having to make do with the C5 X as their largest car.
1974-1980 Ford Granada (North America) Imported luxury cars, mostly from Germany, had become increasingly popular in America throughout the 1960s and 70s. Brands like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Jaguar found great success against the traditional American barges. Their smaller size meant better handling, better performance, and higher fuel economy, which appealed to young urban professionals. When Ford of Europe launched the Consul and Granada in 1973, Detroit started working on a version for the North American market. Unlike the Escort and Mustang II, which had their exterior dimensions changed significantly, the Granada would stay the same, only receiving new US-market bumpers and fascias to meet EPA standards. The Maverick, which the Granada was supposed to replace, stayed in production until 1977 as a cheaper, less luxurious alternative. The Granada was to be assembled at Wayne, Michigan and Mahwah, New Jersey. Only the 2- and 4-door sedans came to North America, although the 2-door sedan was marketed as a coupe. At launch, the Granada could be had with a 2.8- or 3-liter V6. While there were plans to give it a 2.3-liter Lima I4 or a V8, these never went through. It did get a 4 cylinder eventually in 1977, when a diesel model using a 2.3-liter Indenor unit was launched in response to Mercedes's success with diesels. It didn't sell well, and the turbocharger added in 1979 didn't help much. Mercury had its own version, the Monarch, which was nearly identical to the Ford apart from minor differences in the fascia, interior, and badging. It sold well against the much more expensive Mercedes-Benz W123 and BMW E12, although it performed only slightly better than the Maverick it was meant to replace. It was replaced by the Fox-body Ford Fairmont a few months after the Fiesta was cut from the lineup, making it the last of Ford's short-lived attempt at creating a cohesive model lineup.
