Over the past decades, luxury has been associated with what we could call analogue concepts: fine leather, wood veneer, exquisite quilting, and silky-smooth fabrics. These days, however, luxury goes hand in hand with technology, too.

Sure, not everybody approves of that, but even the most fanatical skeptic might have second thoughts after getting a glimpse of the DS Aero Sport Lounge. We’re gonna offer up a lot more than that in the words below.

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DS Aero Sport Lounge - Exterior Design

Stretching to five meters in length (about 16.4 feet), the DS Aero Sport is all about ideal airflow and optimum aerodynamic efficiency. The gaping front grille acts as an air breaker that redirects air to the side intakes and then on to the 23-inch wheels. Other than function, the grille also acts as a screen that hides road-scanning sensors, although DS doesn’t say what kind of sensors - we’re guessing a mix of infrared and LIDAR is the most plausible choice.

Adding to the striking visuals up front, the DS Matrix LED Vision headlights are complemented by veil-like daytime running lights - take a good look at those, because DS says they’ll preview the brand’s future DRL signature for its road-going cars.

DS Aero Sport Lounge - Interior Design

On the inside, DS opted for a screen-free cabin as far as the instrument cluster/multimedia medium is concerned. That’s not to say that technology takes a step back here. Instead of your mundane display, the French carmaker opted for two wide strips positioned on the whole surface of the dashboard.

Even cooler is that the upper strip projects relevant vehicle-related info onto the lower strip, as well as infotainment and navigation cues. The side mirrors are nothing else than cameras which send images to two smaller screens.

DS says the central armrest can read and interpret, as well as answer “every hand gesture.” Without offering a thorough description of the setup, DS mentions it teamed up with Ultraleap to develop this new ultrasound technology that combines “hand tracking with mid-air haptics” and sensors to detect that hand’s movement.

The response then comes as a pulse generated by “tiny ultrasound speakers” which essentially allow your fingers to feel like they’re touching something although they’re not. It definitely sounds enticing, but we’ll need more detailed info for a better picture of how this actually works.

Material-wise, DS didn’t hold back on anything: the seat backs and the minimalistic dashboard are adorned with Burgundy grown and harvested straw, the upholstery is satin cotton and hides a high-density foam for extra cushioning, while the inside of the doors mixes a three-material microfiber with transparent strands that bring ambient light into the cockpit.

DS Aero Sport Lounge - Powertrain

Harnessing the power of electricity is a big deal these days among carmakers so it’s only natural that DS opted for this solution. In the Aero Sport Lounge, DS dropped an electric motor that buzzes out 500 kW (670 horsepower). It’s fed by a 110-kWh “new-generation” battery pack positioned inside the vehicle’s floor.

Max range is estimated at 650 km (403 miles), while the 0-62 mph sprint (100 km/h) takes just 2.8 seconds.

DS Aero Sport Lounge Art Travel Specs


To put things into perspective, the DS E-Tense concept from 2016 had an electric motor good for 402 horsepower and 516 Newton-meters (381 pound-feet) of torque and an estimate range of 360 km (224 miles).

Final Thoughts

While it’s cool to see DS taking a stab at the future of ultra-tech-y luxury, we believe it’s time for the French brand to start implementing more of the striking features it displays via concept cars inside its road cars. We don’t expect that to happen too soon, but we definitely think there’s a lot of potential to be unlocked and exploited and DS could really establish itself as a leading provide of luxury cars in the mid-term and long-term future.