You've really got to hand it to Citroën. As well as launching its DS range as a stand-alone brand in the UK - with the facelifted DS5 leading the assault - the French firm is also being bullish about its aspirations.

I've no doubt that PSA Peugeot-Citroën boss Carlos Tavares knew full well the implications of saying that DS wants to challenge Audi by 2020. Not in sales volume (at least for the moment) but rather in terms of exclusivity and brand desirability - two traits that Citroën isn't famed for in the UK.

Tavares knew exactly where he was aiming with DS, and I suspect those in Ingolstadt are at the very least watching with keen interest.

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Despite the tough words, though, it’s going to be difficult to launch a relatively unknown brand fully into the jam-packed UK automotive market. While DS already exists as a sole entity in China and is fairly well known in Europe, here in the UK we still firmly think of DS as an extension of Citroën. And that's the way it'll stay for the time being, with the long-term goal being to dissociate DS from its French parent completely before too long.

It's easy to see why the decision has been made. As well as the chance to catch trend-setting customers who've become dissatisfied with the 'big three' German premium brands, DS has a chance to set its price list firmly in the premium arena. Officials have already said customers can be expected to pay more for a DS product than they would for a Citroën.

As well as looking premium - and the updated DS5 does look premium inside and out - the brand will also need to match rivals in other areas, such as ride and handling. And we already know that updating those characteristics wasn't part of the facelift plan, which seems strange considering it's one of the areas we pick out as being poor on the current car.

Of course, only time and full-year sales figures will tell whether the move is successful, but DS has every chance of becoming a fully fledged premium brand in the UK. A lot of mid-market brands speak of 'moving upmarket' these days, but Citroën seems to be on track to put its words into action.