DS E-Tense Performance 2023.
DS E-Tense Performance supercar: more than 800 hp, no brakes needed, but there they are.
The French premium brand DS belonging to the Stellantis corporation has not given up the idea of releasing a supercar and has presented an improved version called E-Tense Performance.
It’s only a prototype so far, but it’s said it will be tested on real roads and racetracks, which can be interpreted as a hint at the arrival of a production version.
The DS brand, which broke away from parent brand Citroen in 2014, has yet to become a significant player in the premium segment: only 1,853 cars were sold last year in China, which was the debut market for the DS, and just under 43,000 in Europe.
With such circulation to think about image supercar, development of which costs a lot of money, it seems untimely, but in 2015 the DS brand got involved in the racing series Formula E, where it gained great experience in development of high-performance electric power units — this experience is quite possible to convert into development of road cars.
In 2016, DS showed the E-Tense electric supercar in Geneva, equipped with a 402-horsepower electric motor on the rear axle and capable of accelerating to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds.
After road tests, there were rumors that the car will be put into production in 2021, but this did not happen.
But in 2021, the newly minted Stellantis Corporation announced its grandiose electric car plans, with DS completely switching over to «electric cars» already in 2024.
Today, DS has presented another supercar, it is called E-Tense Performance, which emphasizes its connection with the 2016 model year car, but they have almost nothing in common.
The body with a carbon fiber monocoque at the base is completely redesigned, its exterior plumage (especially at the front) demonstrates the style of future DS models.
Power plant this time is twin-engine, directly borrowed from Formula E race cars, and drive accordingly. Power of the front electric motor is 250 kW, rear — 350 kW.
The total power is 600 kW (815 hp), and curiously enough, all of it is available including regenerative braking.
The maximum torque on the wheels is 8000 Nm. With such characteristics, the supercar does not need classical brakes with discs and pads for deceleration, but it still has them, and they are quite impressive in size — they are needed for safety and the work of the directional stability system.
The battery of the French company Saft («daughter» TotalEnergies) has a deeply integrated cell cooling system, which allows you to avoid overheating in extreme operation.
The suspension is designed according to racing canons (details are not disclosed), but will provide a good smooth ride on normal roads.
The DS E-Tense Performance will be announced after the real-world tests.
The press service of DS says that the prototype presented today will have an extensive program of further development and testing, but does not say whether the E-Tense Performance in the production model — as long as it is only «driving laboratory».
We suppose that in one way or another, the model will still get to consumers and become the flagship model of the DS lineup, but when it happens, we can only guess.
We should add that the DS brand did not come to Russia officially — such plans were, but now the Stellantis corporation is focused on the development of already known brands in our country (Citroen, Opel, Peugeot, Jeep, Fiat) — there is a lot of work for them, so there is not time for DS.
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