Citroen’s premium DS line will be launched in China this year and, to mark the event, the legendary French automaker has designed “Numéro 9”, a new concept car.

The Citroen Numero 9 is a large luxury car which features futuristic styling and a hybrid drivetrain. The design showcases the styling themes of the next three DS line models; a C-segment premium sedan, an SUV and a D-segment executive saloon.

The car measures almost five metres in length – longer than a Commodore – and with a longer wheelbase and wider hips than a Porsche Panamera.

A production version of the car – likely to be called DS9 – is expected to see production in the near future, with China as its primary target as that country is the French brand’s biggest market.

It will likely be targeted at buyers of the Porsche Panamera, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and CLS, BMW 7-Series and 6-Series GranCoupe and Jaguar XJ.

Powering the Citroen Numero 9 concept is a plug-in rechargeable hybrid drivetrain. It has a range of 31 miles (50km) in all-electric mode.

But for longer trips, or highway journeys, the 1.6 litre turbocharged engine kicks in to provide grunt worth 225 horsepower.

Citroën will officially unveil the concept at this month’s Beijing Auto Show. Citroen also offers a peek of the Numéro 9 concept in action in this video trailer.