DS design is a bit wonky
DS’s X E-Tense concept is a 1,360bhp asymmetrical, electric autonomous vision of 2035. With feathers
DS – Citroen’s posh sister brand – has dusted off its crystal ball and come up with something electrically driven and, supposedly, fully autonomous. It also looks totally insane, thanks mostly to its wonky face. DS prefers to call it asymmetrical, and the idea is this: in a world where fully autonomous cars exist, we won’t suddenly lose our driving libidos.
Hence one side is a roofless, focused cockpit containing space for the driver and a steering wheel. On the other side is your “soothing cocoon”, a wider, covered compartment where you can relax and let the computers take the strain.
The chassis is bespoke, but the powertrain is lifted from the 2018 Formula E car and flipped. The batteries are at the back, the motors and gearbox are at the front, so FWD and with 270bhp, in reality. According to DS’s press release, peak power stands at 540bhp for road use, and 1,360bhp in circuit mode. DS’s press release lies. Other notable features include a glass floor on the passenger side, headlights that ditch traditional clusters for entire areas of bodywork that light up, and goose feathers decorating the headrest on the passenger side. Us neither.
Reach to your left in the passenger pod and a Nespresso machine is hidden under the armrest , ahead of you is a laser-etched wooden dash enclosing a sound bar, and there’s even the possibility to project TV shows and films onto the glass surfaces. Or you could do what normal people do and watch something on your iPad while mainlining Starburst. The choice, in DS’s future, is entirely yours.