DS boss Xavier Peugeot has hinted that a replacement for the brand's smallest model, the 3, is on the horizon - but suggested that it won't be easily pigeonholed into a traditional segment.

The high-riding DS 3 supermini is up for renewal, having been launched in 2018 as the second model from the then newly independent DS marque.

Sharing its platform and powertrain line-up with the similarly sized Vauxhall Mokka, Jeep Avenger and Peugeot 2008, the DS 3 has played a crucial role in helping Stellantis's French premium marque to establish a foothold in the European market - particularly in the UK, where it has been by far the brand's best-seller.

Xavier Peugeot suggested the brand plans to maintain a small car offering, but hinted that – like the new DS N°8 saloon-SUV – a successor to the 3 would be likely to straddle traditional segments in a bid to both stand out in a crowded segment and appeal to different demographics.

"There is room for a premium car in the small, medium or large segments, but I think we should also probably invent some new segments, if we can," he said. "There is room in the various segments for a premium player."

He stopped short of giving any concrete details of DS's plans for a new entry model, but DS product director Audrey Amar said Xavier Peugeot is always asking her to "invent a new concept" for upcoming cars and suggested that future models will follow the N°8 in straddling various market segments.

She said: "When you look at previous segments, it was very clear that you had B-hatch, B-SUV, C-hatch, C-SUV... Now it's not that obvious any more."

Amar added that the N°4, which occupies a similar footprint to the likes of its Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series rivals but adopts more of an SUV-inspired silhouette, is "the beginning of this new segmentation".

Similarly, the new N°8 is referred to internally as "a D-Cross", referencing its conception as a D-segment 'crossover' that isn't easily described as either a saloon or an SUV.

"We are mixing the different codes of the different segments to create new concepts," said Amar.

The next-generation DS 3 – set to be renamed N°3 under the brand's new naming strategy – would no doubt follow the Vauxhall Corsa and Peugeot 208 in swapping from the current CMP platform onto Stellantis's new STLA Small architecture.

That platform is designed primarily for electric cars and indeed Vauxhall has said the next Corsa will be electric only - but the current car is likely to remain on sale in order to maintain a combustion offering in the price-focused small car segment.

DS could follow suit, introducing a new-generation, electric-only 'N°3' on STLA Small, while also heavily overhauling the current model in line with its new design language and keeping both cars on sale simultaneously.

The brand has given no indication of a potential launch date and test prototypes have yet to appear on public roads, but with the Corsa and 208 both due on sale next year and the current 3 now having been on sale for seven years, first details could be expected in the coming months.