DS – Citroen’s posh sister brand – has dusted off its crystal ball and projected its brand 17 years into the future in the best possible way…. with a wild concept car. We actually saw sketches of this monster back in April, but only now has it been turned into a tangible object. Before it debuts at the Paris Motor Show in October, we were summoned to a top-secret military facility near Paris to meet the X E-Tense close up, and experience it in full flight.

As you’d expect from a future-facing car these days, it is both electrically-driven and, supposedly, fully autonomous. These two factors both shape the car’s design and its character, but also remind us that much of this car’s spec must be taken with a pinch of salt. It’s real, it looks spectacular and it moves down the road, but it’s hypothetical. For now.