‘There is a real connection between competition and the series’

Your brand’s involvement in Formula E since 2015 is one of the longest since the series began just one year earlier. What have you learned from these 10 years?

Xavier Peugeot: “When I joined DS Automobiles, I immediately immersed myself in Formula E. I particularly appreciate our long-standing commitment to this championship, which has been rewarded with titles, because it is deeply consistent with the message of a young brand like ours (founded in 2014, editor’s note). DS Automobiles has made some strong technological choices, and at a time when our brand is making a comeback after several years without any new launches, it is important to be able to capitalise on this natural connection between high electric performance and our new model, the DS N°8, which offers one of the longest ranges on the market at 750km. We are going to launch three new models in 18 months, and this consistency in our message goes beyond anything that this type of competition can offer in terms of audience or image.”

DS Automobiles has won four world titles (two drivers’ and two constructors’) in Formula E and has always fought at the forefront of this highly competitive championship. What are the keys to this consistent success?

XP: “In competition, performance is achieved through all the operating parameters of a team. It is important that everything works perfectly at the same time, without any lag. I believe that it is also the consistency and continuity of our commitment, our ability to work in the right direction and over the long term, that is at the root of our results. We’ve seen teams leave a championship, then come back with different people and different habits, and the performance doesn’t come back right away. In competition, a long-term commitment allows you to develop the automatic responses and smooth functioning that are essential for performance.”

How does the expertise acquired on the racetrack find its way into production models? Can we talk about technology transfer from racing cars to production models, even though they are very different?

XP: “We are indeed in very different worlds, but a number of technological features are quite clearly found in our production models. I’m thinking primarily of the entire brake regeneration system, which is taken to the extreme in Formula E and can now be found in the performance of the DS N°8. The same goes for the software, which is the same as that used in the PERFORMANCE version of our DS 7 PLUG-IN HYBRID AWD 360. We also know that the One Pedal technology, with increased regeneration, which we offer on the No. 8, comes from what we have learned in Formula E. There is a real connection between competition and production, which stimulates our Research and Development department, and all of this together enables us to offer our customers a more efficient and higher-performance electric experience.”

DS N°8 and N°4 seem to embody this synergy between sportiness and technology. Are your customers receptive to the philosophy of using motor sport to offer them more efficient cars?

XP: “I don’t know if our customers fully appreciate this connection on a daily basis, but it is useful to us in offering a range of 750km on the No. 8, or technological refinements in terms of energy management and driving comfort. We are, of course, working hard on the aerodynamics of our models, but also, as we have seen, on all the parameters that make an electric vehicle a pleasure to use. It’s up to us to communicate better how we do this, but the main thing is that we can offer this solution to our customers.”

What are the next steps in this area? What features could your future models offer thanks to your commitment to competition?

XP: “Examples of electric performance and brake regeneration, as well as the software solutions we already use, will continue to be developed. But we are, of course, working on other technical solutions and are also thinking about how we can offer our customers even more advanced powertrains thanks to our DS Performance teams, who design the single-seaters we race in Formula E. Discussions are already underway on these topics.”

DS Automobiles prides itself on its avant-garde and premium DNA. Are this spirit of luxury and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) compatible when you are a car manufacturer?

XP: “To be precise, and this is important, our positioning is first and foremost in the premium segment, with luxury being another world that we use primarily as inspiration for our designers. Offering solutions with high electric autonomy, as we do with DS N°8, is in no way incompatible with concrete CSR responses, which are also at the heart of our concerns, particularly in the materials* we use in our cars [nearly 70% of materials in the Alcantara seats are recycled]. DS Automobiles embodies the avant-garde and the art of French motoring, driven by a passion for competition and innovation. Although still young, our brand is already recognised as a success story, and we intend to build on this adventure with consistency, with competition playing a key role in its development.”

*Alcantara is made from 68% recycled materials, and certain interior finishes in the cars (such as Eternal Blue Alcantara and DS-Pearl Grey and Basalt Black canvas fabrics) are made from recycled materials (60% textiles, fabrics or plastics, 75% carpets, 96% floor mats, editor’s note), chrome is not used and leathers are naturally tanned with olive leaves using an environmentally friendly process.

DS N°8

Photo by: DS Automobiles