“That’s not our philosophy. We are sure that in the future, even if we do an autonomous car, customers will still want emotion and adrenalin, and to own a beautiful object with a lot of character.”

The X E-Tense uses the basic frame of the Formula E car, with the motors at the front and the battery at the rear. That allows it to be lower than most ‘chocolate bar’ electric cars with batteries in the floor, which, Metroz said, was needed for the “slim sports car concept”.

The car also features some other innovative design features, including an LED ‘light veil’ instead of headlights, and a 3D-printed grille.

Q&A - Thierry Metroz, DS design director

Where did the inspiration come from?

“The first vision was to translate the concept of a sidecar. You have the driver’s side dedicated to pleasure and sensation, which is open to your surroundings, and the other part of a luxury cocoon.”

How challenging was an asymmetric car to design?

“Very. The original plan was to have an asymmetric wheelbase, but when we discussed it with DS Performance, they went: ‘Are you sure?’ Because this is a real car. For safety, it was better to have the same wheelbase.”

Would you ever offer an asymmetric car for sale?

“It’s difficult to do for production, particularly because in some parts of the world, the steering wheel is on the other side.”

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