THE first big SUV from new wave French premium brand DS will be priced from £28,050 when it arrives early next year.

The DS 7 Crossback is the first wholly new model from DS since the company separated from Citroen in 2014 and will be available from a growing network of DS sites across the UK.

Four trim levels are included in the initial line up with prices topping out at £43,535 and the range will expand in 2019 to include a plug-in hybrid likely to cost around £50,000.

The DS 7, which will be pitched against the likes of the Audi Q5 and Range Rover Velar, is high on technology and features two 12-inch display screens instead of conventional instruments.

Other high tech equipment includes swivelling LED headlights, a night vision display and an active suspension system which can detect undulations in the road some 15 feet ahead and react in advance to soften the ride.

Ahead of the hybrid, three engines will be used in the DS 7 with the entry level Elegance model powered by a 1.6-litre BlueHDi diesel developing 130bhp and said to be capable of 70.6mpg with emissions of 106g/km.

More powerful 180bhp 2.0-litre diesels will be included in the mid-range Performance Line and Prestige models and in the top specification Ultra Prestige versions.

Turbo charged PureTech petrol engines with outputs of 180 and 225bhp will also be available with a claimed fuel return of 48.7mpg which equates to 134g/km CO2.

All but the 1.6 diesel will be mated to eight speed automatic gearboxes.

The DS 7 E-Tense plug-in hybrid will have an all-wheel-drive configuration and will be driven by two electric motors plus a 200bhp petrol engine.

DS has yet to release full performance data but says the car will be capable of running for up to 35 miles purely on electricity.

A high specification launch edition DS 7 called La Premiere will continue to be available until the end of December, priced from £42,650.

On the safety front, all models will be equipped with lane departure warning, driver fatigue monitors and parking sensors while the higher specification versions will include a semi-autonomous drive mode which DS is calling Connected Pilot.

High quality trims using a range of fabrics, leather and wooden veneers will be available and in line with the brand's haute couture image DS has named the interior themes after Parisian landmarks including Rivoli, Opera and Faubourg.

While the DS range remains predominantly based at Citroen dealerships in Britain, the company plans to have 60 bespoke sites operational across the country by the end of 2018 which will include city centre salons similar to the DS store at London's Westfield shopping centre.

Several DS stores have already opened including two in the Edinburgh area with others in Glasgow, Salford, Manchester and Chester.