DS Sports Car Concept Could Get A Production Future
With so many concept debuts happening in any given year in the automotive world, it's hard to keep track of all these prototypes. There are a few though that stick in our heads, either because of their dramatic good looks or their impressive performance credentials. Then there are those that hit us squarely on both spots and these are the concepts that we actually look forward to seeing production guise. The DS E-Tense Concept from the 2016 Geneva Motor Show counts as one of these concepts and according to Autocar, we might end up seeing a production version of the electric supercar a lot sooner than we had hoped for.
Apparently, DS, the luxury division of the PSA Group that was born out of French automaker Citroen has filed a trademark for the E-Tense name, a sign that the automaker has bigger plans for the concept that stole the show in Geneva last year. Granted, filing a trademark doesn't automatically mean that the name in question will be used in production form. We've seen automakers file trademarks in the past before, only to not do anything with them.
But there are reasons to believe that DS has plans to use the E-Tense name in the future. For one, PSA boss Carlos Tavares has made his opinions clear of a performance car acting as a halo model for DS. The man thinks that there's enormous potential for the car if it does end up going to production. The French auto giant even took the E-Tense Concept out on the streets of Paris shortly after its debut in Geneva to gauge public reaction for the car. Then there's the fact that despite being labeled as a concept, DS actually built the model to production car standards, allowing it to be used as technology demonstrator to showcase all of its wares in real-world settings.
Read the tea leaves and there is cause to be optimistic about the E-Tense Concept's chance of making it to production. Just don't expect it to happen right away because the priority within the DS brand is to introduce an SUV to the market by 2018. That's the more pressing concern at the moment. Once the SUV is out though, look for the buzz surrounding the E-Tense Concept to pick up once again.
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Good move by DS, even if the results are unlikely to show yetI can't speak for the preferences of other people, but I can tell you that I'm a big fan of the DS E-Tense Concept when it was unveiled at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. A 400-horsepower electric sports car with the looks that could back up its capabilities would be a great flagship model for a DS luxury brand that's still trying to find stability after having just recently been turned into its own sub-brand.
That's one of the biggest reasons why I think a production version of the E-Tense Concept could work, but it's far from the only reason if you consider how the industry itself is evolving to the point that electric performance cars are becoming more and more popular these days.
There's a whole new segment that's opening up here and PSA and DS would be smart to capitalize on it, especially when a lot of the E-Tense's perceived rivals are also in similar – maybe a little bit more advanced – stages of development. We all know that a big part of success in the industry can be attributed to taking advantage of opportunities that present itself to automakers. Seize these opportunities and you put yourself in an advantageous position to attract success for your model.
I think that's what DS has in front of it and it's playing its cards right by looking at the potential of the E-Tense Concept as a production performance car and being proactive in considering the need of a halo car for the new brand. Whether this trademark filing amounts to anything is a question that will only be answered over time. But the signs point to it happening at some point in the future and that's a good thing for DS as it tries to establish an identity for itself.
Gallery DS E-Tense ConceptRead our full review on the DS E-Tense Concept here.