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Nothing will ever be the same again for DS after this

The DS design team tell us how the innovative, eye-catching and future-shaping Nº8 was created

Partnership content, funded by DS AUTOMOBILES Bauer Media Registered Company Number LP003328 (England and Wales) Registered Office: The Lantern, 75 Hampstead Road, London, NW1 2PL

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Words: Ben Whitworth I Photography: Charlie Magee

France is synonymous with luxury, elegance and panache, and its capital is the centre of global fashion. Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermès, Dior, Cartier - these marques epitomise the French essence of haute couture and opulence, weaving together narratives that have become cornerstones of France’s cultural heritage. By contrast, the French automotive industry has, despite endless attempts, never succeeded in carving out comparable levels of credibility and prestige. ‘How many luxury brands are French, but how many of them are car brands?’ asks Thierry Métroz, director of design at DS Automobiles. ‘Zero, that’s how many.’ Métroz and his team believe the new Nº8 is the answer - a car that will span the chasm between France’s luxury consumerism and its automotive offerings. ‘Our ambition is to embody French luxury know-how, which comes from the world of arts and crafts, watch making and haute couture. ‘It is this knowledge,’ Métroz insists, ‘that creates an original, elegant and refined atmosphere, and what we at DS Automobiles call the French Art of Travel.’

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The Nº8, in showrooms now, is the marque’s first electric-only model. If the silhouette and proportions of this high-riding fastback look familiar, that’s because Métroz’s standard bearer for the French Art of Travel draws on ideas from the Aero Sport Lounge concept car revealed at the 2020 Geneva motor show. ‘The Aero Sport Lounge signposts our new external design direction,’ explains Métroz, ‘and in the same way our M.i. Manifesto 21 from 2023 illustrates our approach to internal design. ‘Bringing together these ideas gives you the essential elements of the French Art of Travel: interior space, immersion, sound, light, storage and the artistic dimension. The Nº8 is more than French, it’s Parisian, because France is our first market, but Paris is our heart.’ And that is where we join Métroz and key members of his design team to pore over the Nº8, and discuss its significant role in transforming DS Automobiles into the Louis Vuitton of car makers.

Design director Thierry Métroz (above) and his team have mixed visual flair, user-friendliness and aero efficiency

Aerodynamics: Ultra efficient ‘When we started work on the Nº8, we did so in the opposite way that we normally do with a new model,’ says lead aerodynamicist Pierre Buggio. ‘We started first with the vehicle’s aerodynamics to ensure maximum range and minimum noise entering the cabin, and only then did we focus on the rest of the external design.’ Buggio’s aero-first work was carried out at the advanced Soufflerie S2A wind-tunnel complex an hour west of Paris, with its nine-blade 3800kW fan, 8.3 metres in diameter and capable of generating maximum wind speeds of 150mph. ‘The Nº8 fastback’s profile was selected for its excellent aerodynamic performance,’ says Buggio. The initial aero tests, in early 2021, used a full-sized mock-up. ‘We undertook as much work on the car’s underbody as we spent on the top, ensuring equilibrium between the air flowing from the top and from beneath the vehicle.’ The front bumper was fitted with active shutters to optimise battery temperatures and aero efficiency, while those blades at the car’s corners cut through the air, and at speed the DS’s 20-inch Lyrae alloy wheels reduce drag and turbulence. Just 12 months later the design was approved for production. The Nº8’s air-cheating profile posts a low coefficient of drag figure of 0.24, while its CdA figure (coefficient of drag times frontal area) is just 0.63 - besting rivals such as the Tesla Model Y and BMW i4. ‘As well as extensive aero-acoustic testing around the A-pillar and wing mirrors using laser-guided microphones, we simultaneously undertook the development of the Nº8’s internal acoustics, ensuring that all exterior modifications worked in sync to enhance the cabin’s serenity and composure,’ adds Buggio. The resulting aero efficiency played a key role in the Nº8’s 466-mile WLTP range. ‘In the past, we would take our design and then work out how to make it efficient, but the Nº8 ushered in a radically different - and very successful - approach,’ says Métroz. ‘Nothing will ever be the same again.’

Range and pricing

In the UK the Nº8 is available in PALLAS, ÉTOILE and JULES VERNE trim, each lavishly equipped with safety, luxury, convenience and driver-assistance features. The five-strong line-up kicks off with the 233bhp, 74kWh front-drive PALLAS, which weighs in at £50,790, while the flagship 354bhp, 97.2kWh all-wheel-drive JULES VERNE model wears a £68,780 price tag.

Bodywork: Modern luxury The 2020 Aero Sport Lounge concept, designed by Bob Romkes (who went on to create the Stradale 33 for Alfa Romeo) set the template for the Nº8’s rakish fastback silhouette and aero-efficient proportions. Walk around the completed DS flagship and there’s much to take in. The glazed and illuminated Luminascreen ‘grille’ - another Stellantis first - is flanked by piercing headlamps whose canine-like fangs create a distinctive nocturnal signature. Peer deeper into the eight headlamps and you can see their pyramid-shaped design, an intricately engraved guilloché pattern inspired by the Louvre museum. The paint-jet technology used in the creation of the two-tone painted bonnet took DS four years to develop. ‘It’s a single painting process with no overspray, no curing and no baking,’ says Métroz, ‘and we’re bringing this historic visual link with luxury cars into the age of the electric vehicle.’ As with other DS models, the Nº8 deploys different nose badges - rather than additional labelling - to indicate trim levels. This lack of adornment is complemented by the car’s clean tailgate, which carries only ‘DS Automobiles Nº8’ in low-key matt badging in the same font used by the company’s Formula E motorsport team. Walk the length of the Nº8’s sculpted flanks with its flush door handles and your eye is drawn to the shoulders beneath the ‘floating’ C-pillar, and how they house the dramatic rear trihedral light structures. The car’s combination of extended 2900mm wheelbase, short overhangs, wheelarch-filling 20-inch alloys and rakish roof do an effective job of making the car look low and powerful. ‘The Nº8 is a new concept, an evolution of the SUV-coupe,’ says Métroz, ‘illustrated by a profile that is both efficient and elegant. We have to give value to the customer, and the DS value is style - what you see here - and the serenity the driver experiences from behind the wheel.’

Interior: Spacious and simple Car makers tend to talk big about their cabin architecture. But Thomas Bouveret, interior design manager at DS Automobiles, isn’t exaggerating when he describes the Nº8’s interior. ‘It’s a flamboyant dandy in a world of black leather and black plastic and hard shiny chrome… what is on display is what we choose to show off.’ The cabin is dominated by a sweeping dashboard that houses the driver’s 10.25-inch instrument display, and the 16-inch central screen. Both high-def configurable displays are ultra-thin units positioned within the dash, rather than risk limiting the driver’s view ahead by putting them on top of the dash. The dash itself is free of vertical seams or joins to enhance its monolithic feel, and is bookended by the laser-cut covers of two of the 14 speakers that come with the 690-watt Focal Electra audio system. As well as creating a striking visual motif, these double up as door handles and provide low levels of cabin illumination. This multi-functional approach not only creates open areas that enhance the sense of space, but also benefits the bottom line. ‘Fewer parts in the interior, such as the door cards and instrument panel, frees up budgets for higher-quality materials,’ says Bouveret. That striking four-spoke wheel - colour-coded to match the cabin upholstery - is another bold DS design motif. The controls on either side of the boss combine mechanical and haptic touchpoints to enhance driver confidence, as do the controls housed on the ‘floating’ centre console, complete with its alcantara-lined dedicated storage units for phone, keys and wallet. The illuminated starburst theme - Star Wars warp speed, anyone? - is reflected in the striations etched into the fixed panoramic glass sunroof. ‘The roof graphic serves no functional role,’ says Bouveret, ‘but it creates a distinctive ambience in the cabin, and these ideas and themes work together to infuse the cabin with the distinctive DS character and ambience.’

Finish: Chrome detox If the Nº8’s exterior is all about tautly sculpted aero-efficient metal, then its cabin is a coordinated collection of luxurious materials, tasteful hues and plush finishes. ‘We focused on the glorification of materials, looking at every aspect of the cabin to work together and create a serene savoir-faire mood for everyone on board,’ explains Mathilde Fourreau, the Nº8’s innovation, colour, material and finish project leader. ‘We had what we call a chrome detox, so the car uses warm champagne-pink metal finishes, inspired by nickel used in the 1930s art deco movement, rather than hard bright silver or brash glitzy gold accents. ‘Leather is still very important for us - it’s the best upcycled material, and we use a low-impact process using tannin from olive tree leaves. At DS Automobiles we talk about SustaiNobility - the use of sustainable luxury materials - such as our leather, the lack of chrome, and the recycled plastic we used for all our floormats.’ Nº8 customers will have a choice of three fabrics and leathers, complemented by a suite of piping and thread options. The exceptionally comfortable and supportive front seats feature a watch-strap design and distinctive pearl overlap stitching - traditional DS motifs - as well as an integrated neck warmer, which DS claims is a more efficient means of warming the driver and front passenger compared to heating the entire cabin. And they’re sculpted to give rear passengers greater forward visibility. ‘Even the chronograph-style instruments play a role in the cabin’s unique character,’ says Loic Bethegnies, head of the Nº8’s technology and user interface. ‘The screens constantly display high-definition digital art backgrounds with the choice of eight theme colours, and this animation elevates our visuals beyond mere graphics.’ Like the whole car, it’s out of the ordinary.

From sketches via full-size physical mock-ups to the finished car has been a swift process. Every component is a visual and tactile delight, and moves DS design up a level.

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Choice of batteries

DS will offer you two battery sizes - a 74kWh unit and a larger 97.2kWh pack - running 400-volt architecture for a 20 to 80 per cent recharge in 28 minutes. Heat pumps are standard. DS claims the front wheel-drive Nº8 with the 97kWh battery will cover 466 miles between recharges, seeing off its Polestar 3, Tesla Model 3 and Volkswagen ID. 7 rivals.

Aerodynamics

The Nº8 turned the traditional DS development method inside out. Within the first 12 months of the design process its aerodynamic hard points were nailed down to maximise both range and refinement, and only then was the rest of the genre-bending fastback design undertaken. The result? An official 466-mile range, better than any other Stellantis car using the same 97.2kWh battery.

Dimensions

The Nº8 is a relatively compact 4820mm long, 1900mm wide and 1580mm high. But that combination of cab-forward proportions and extended 2900mm wheelbase creates a truly spacious cabin, with plenty of room for the front and rear occupants, and a large and conveniently shaped 560-litre boot.

Innovations in cabin heating

Heating an EV’s cabin on an icy morning - and then keeping it warm - consumes a lot of range-robbing energy. DS’s leftfield response is a combination of heated seats for all on board, and neck warmers integrated into the front seats. These scarves of warm air are said to keep driver and front passenger feeling toasty without needing to turn the Nº8 into a mobile sauna.

Clous de Paris

DS’s design theme takes its name from guilloché - that intricate pyramidal engraving pattern beloved by high-end jewellers and watch makers such as Van Cleef & Arpels and Patek Philippe. The pattern inspired IM Pei’s glass pyramid entrance to the Louvre.

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