A narrative between DS Automobiles and its community
More than just a tribute, SM TRIBUTE celebrates ten years of art and elegance since the creation of DS Automobiles and its participation in the first Chantilly Arts & Elegance, while contributing to future-oriented research by DS DESIGN STUDIO PARIS.IO PARIS.
A tribute to the SM and a very current design study
The DS DESIGN STUDIO PARIS team works regularly on the legacy of the historic DS and SM, through sketches that unleash their creativity and fuel their thinking.
The exterior design of the original SM reinterpreted
The SM, born at the beginning of the 1970s, embodied the pinnacle of French automotive innovation. This grand tourer was a real concentration of technology. Its aerodynamic styling, designed by Robert Opron, was both elegant and avant-garde.
The SM did not have an obvious upper grille, which was replaced by a very large glass section that revealed the headlamp modules and registration plate. Fifty years on, this glass section becomes a 3D screen that lights up to its middle, framed by a light signature made up of three modules on each side – as in the past – enhanced by eight diamond-tipped and vertical DRLs based on a triad shape meeting at a point like a ship's bow.
The profile retains the characteristic lines of the SM following the airflow from the front to the narrower rear. Behind two large windows, the rear quarter panel is cut in half and goes on to make the rear part float in an S shape. Naturally, the rear wheels are partially faired with removable parts.
While the iconic proportions of the SM are maintained with a length at 4.94 m (+ 3 cm) and height at 1.34 m (+ 2 cm), SM TRIBUTE gains primarily in muscularity and presence with a 1.98 m width (+ 14 cm). In search of efficiency, ground clearance changes to 12 centimetres (-3.5 cm). SM TRIBUTE sits on large 22-inch wheels embellished with aerodynamic inserts.
The glass roof at the front of SM TRIBUTE houses an animated light screen, as well as the three light modules on each side. This canopy is directly inspired by that of the original SM.
The rear wheel arches of SM TRIBUTE are partially faired. They echo those of the SM of 1970, entirely obscured. On the manifest, the perforated rear wing would make it possible to cool the brakes during the regeneration phases of the electric motor.
The extended two-tone look is notably worked around a reinterpretation of the Feuille Dorée shade which was in the catalog in 1971, sporting a satin varnish and combined with a specific colored black.
The interior also continues the language of the 1970 SM
Inside, the 1970 design has also been reinterpreted with the characteristic shape of the top of the dashboard and even the oval design of the instruments.
True to the avant-garde soul of the SM, the information display is through projection and the curved “screen console”, connected to the steer-by-wire steering wheel, complete this spirit that’s dear to the brand.
Sound and lights envelop the occupants.
Inside, the 1970 design has also been reinterpreted with the characteristic shape of the top of the dashboard and even the oval design of the instruments. True to the avant-garde soul of the SM, the information display is through projection and the curved “screen console”, connected to the steer-by-wire steering wheel, complete this spirit that’s dear to the brand. Sound and lights envelop the occupants.
Materials mixing heritage and technology
The interior is very light with an ivory colour made up of leather and Alcantara®. A large display case on the front of the dashboard provides an extraordinary setting to accommodate an almost infinite range of finishes and materials. The seats continue the iconic upholstery of the SM, with its horizontal cushions.
The leather work on the door panels, laser engraved, reveals patterns inspired by Decorative Arts. This period corresponded to the Roaring Twenties, in which the competitions of elegance were born.
The pearl stitch decorations on the door panels are revisited: real pearls subtly bring the light animations to the passenger compartment. This reference to jewelry is found on the finely chiseled crystal control wheel, as well as on the center of the steering wheel.
On the seats, the symmetrical graphics of the leather perforations recall the link construction - or watch strap - of DS Automobiles models.
The dematerialized instrumentation screen makes the material appear transparent, as on the M.i 19 and M.i. 21 interiors manifests. In SM TRIBUTE, the material incorporates golden glitter which fades at the level of the instrumentation.
The semi-circle patterns of the door panels, the centrally placed sound system, as well as the transparent central screen evoke the M.i. 21 interior manifesto, presented in mid-2023 at the Révélations' show.
The future of the car
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