Picture DS as it was, and your mind immediately goes to 1955, the year one of the most iconic cars in history was unveiled: the celebrated "shark", the fruit of the genius of Italian artist Flaminio Bertoni. Picture DS Automobiles as it is today, and what come to mind are refined electric and plug-in hybrid models, alongside the successes achieved in the Formula E championship. Building on a glorious history, the car manufacturer has radically reinvented itself over the years, positioning itself on the market as one of the leading players in sustainable mobility; yet it has done so while remaining faithful, now as then, to the founding principles that have always set it apart: technology, innovation and design.

The story of the DS 19, the "shark" that was ahead of its time in aesthetics and technological solutions

Unveiled at the Paris Motor Show on 6 October 1955, the Citroën DS 19 remained in production, virtually unchanged, until 1974. Its futuristic design — which still captivates millions of enthusiasts in every corner of the globe today — was matched by truly incredible technological innovations for the era.

Starting with the hydropneumatic suspension that raised the car at the moment of ignition, allowing it to maintain a constant ride height and therefore absorb road bumps better than any other existing vehicle; and continuing with the directional headlights (which turned in accordance with the position of the steering wheel, better illuminating bends), the front disc brakes (the first in Europe to be fitted with them), the differentiated track width and the faired rear wheels — solutions that earned it the title of "safest car in the world" for years.

DS Automobiles: from 2024 we will produce only electric cars

Founded in 2014, the car manufacturer that today forms part of the Stellantis Group set its sights from the very beginning on reviving the glorious DS name, with the goal of playing a central role in the ecological transition of the automotive sector, always and rigorously under the banner of innovation and design.

Today, E-Tense technology represents a true benchmark in sustainable mobility, and is present on all new DS Automobiles models: in 100 per cent electric form on the DS 3 CROSSBACK, and as plug-in hybrid on the DS 4, DS 7 CROSSBACK and DS 9. Power, range, safety and driving pleasure are the result of a project that aims to blend the best of technological know-how with the style that has always characterised the brand. With an ambitious goal already set: to produce exclusively electric models from 2024 onwards.

Innovations born from competition and from successes in Formula E

From the racing circuit to the road, DS Automobiles makes full use of the knowledge gained in Formula E to develop its electrified models: the technological choices for electric motors, batteries, power management and energy recovery under braking are all inherited from the experience gained in competition. The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship — which will stop in Rome on 9 and 10 April — sees the best electric vehicles go head to head in the heart of some of the world's most beautiful cities.

Having started out in 2015, DS Automobiles has had a story of great success: E-Tense technology allowed the DS Techeetah team, and drivers Jean-Éric Vergne and António Felix Da Costa, to claim all the drivers' and teams' titles in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Formula E is, in essence, a fundamental research and development laboratory for the car manufacturer, allowing it to continue refining the electrification technologies that are then made available to customers; and at the same time to confirm its leadership role in the challenge of the ecological transition in the world of four wheels. Because it is possible to travel with zero emissions (also) at the wheel of a style icon.