DS Automobiles has just unveiled their new flagship, the fully electric N°8 fastback crossover, and it’s clear they’re trying (perhaps a bit too hard) to grab attention. During the official presentation, the French automaker had the gall—er, the cheek—to throw a little jab at the competition, recreating a scene from the folk tale Cinderella to make their point. And what’s that point, you ask? Well, the DS N°8 wants to be the new luxury carriage for those who fancy a bit of magic in their drive; no pumpkins required.

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The N°8 was revealed by none other than Olivier Francois, CEO of Fiat, Abarth, and DS Automobiles, who made a rather grandoise statement by calling the N°8 a “modern-day carriage.” This, of course, was meant to evoke the heritage of DS, a brand that’s barely old enough to legally drink in some countries. A bit of a stretch, sure, but it sets the stage for what was to follow.

In a rather Cinderella-esque moment at the end of the video, Francois parks the N°8 between an Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron and a BMW i4, both of which were conveniently de-badged, but we got the message loud and clear. To top it off, he delivered a final punchline:

“Well, I’m convinced that if Cinderella were written in 2025, she would undoubtedly ride in a N°8. And allow me to say, by next summer, when N°8 is launched, it might just be like the fairy tale: the 12 strokes of midnight may very well sound for the competition’s luxurious carriages.”

At this point, the Audi and BMW are transformed nto pumpkins, while the DS N°8 remains unscathed, because, of course, it’s the star of the show. For the uninitiated, Cinderella’s fairy godmother turned a pumpkin into a golden carriage to get her to the ball, only to have the magic wear off at midnight. You know, just in case you hadn’t picked up on the metaphor.

Now, setting aside the cheeky marketing, DS Automobiles has had a bit of a rough ride since its split from Citroen in 2014. Competing with more established brands in both sales and brand recognition has proven tricky.

Positioned as one of Stellantis’s premium brands alongside Lancia and Alfa Romeo but below Maserati, DS doesn’t have the decades of heritage that BMW or Mercedes-Benz can rely on. Instead, it shares its underpinnings with other Stellantis models, while attempting to carve out its own niche with quirky French styling, more upscale interiors, and a slightly more refined chassis setup. Think of DS like Genesis, but focused more on the lower segments—if that makes sense. And that’s the approach they’ve taken with the N°8, which is designed to challenge the sedans and coupe-SUVs in Europe’s premium midsize segment.

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Francois was quick to highlight that the 4.82-meter-long (189.8-inch) N°8 combines the elevated driving position of an SUV with the elegance and class of a grand sedan. It also boasts the longest range in its segment with up to 750 km (466 miles) on a single charge.

In the video, the CEO went on at length about the interior, claiming it offers “extreme comfort, beauty, silence, and refinement.” He also highlighted that the N°8’s seats provide a spa-like experience, complete with massaging, ventilating, and heating functions, plus, a neck warmer for good measure.

But, as with all things that sound too good to be true, it remains to be seen whether buyers will shell out for this French luxury crossover when they can just as easily reach for a more traditional choice from the likes of BMW, Audi, or Mercedes-Benz.

DS Automobiles

BMW M is gearing up for the debut of its first fully electric model, marking the beginning of a new era for the brand. Before that happens, a new video series on YouTube gives us a sneak peek behind the scenes of the EV development, showing early BMW M prototypes and discussing their quad-motor powertrain.

The first episode of the “BMW M Electrified” series is focused on the preparation of the “Board Management Drive”. This secret test drive is for engineers to share their most exciting work with BMW’s entire Board of Management. This is a crucial milestone for the team, as the future of each project effectively depends on what high-ranked officials will think about it.

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The video reveals that one of the early EV prototypes was based on the previous-generation BMW M2 (F87). The white model sports a slightly different front bumper and a pronounced ducktail spoiler, but looks fairly stock, setting aside the obvious lack of tailpipes. This likely allowed the development team to test the new powertrain and driving dynamics on public roads without being noticed.

Of course, the star of the video is the familiar BMW M prototype which has been spotted testing since 2022. This one is based on the BMW i4 but features various components from the M3/M4, wide fender extensions, carbon ceramic brakes, and a special camouflage wrap. More importantly, it is fitted with quad electric motors featuring advanced torque vectoring functions and rides on an extensively reinforced chassis with custom front and rear subframes.

BMW M / YouTube

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Carsten Wolf, who’s responsible for Integration Vehicle Characteristics at BMW M, said that the quad-motor EV powertrain will be used by all future models. “We will see the technical concepts that we are developing here now, four electric motors, in all BMW M high performance vehicles at some point in the future”. In this context, Wolf said that the modular system, comprising the EV powertrain and the driving dynamics, is crucial for the future of BMW M.

Speaking about EV development, Franciscus van Meel, CEO of BMW M GmbH, said: “For me it’s not about transforming, it’s about embracing new technology, and to find out how to push to the limits of what is technically possible”. According to van Meel, their goal was to “centralize all of the control units into a central control logic”, reducing the complexity of the electronics and avoiding any interference between them.

Earlier this year, the BMW M boss made a bold statement about their upcoming fully electric sedan, saying it “will beat everything you have ever seen”. The production model is expected to spearhead the upcoming BMW i3 sedan’s range, which will ride on the much-talked-about Neue Klasse architecture. It will be the electric equivalent to the BMW M3, which will reportedly live on in ICE-powered form using a mild-hybrid six-cylinder engine.

At some point in the video, the i4-based prototype suffered a mechanical issue, and the team had to replace the front electric motors. Engineers cite how crucial it is to perform real-life tests from an early stage, as simulations can’t provide the same feedback on all-new technology. Thankfully, all of the issues were dealt with before members of BMW’s Board of Management sat behind the wheel of the EVs.

The next episode will likely show us the outcome of the test drive. According to BMW M’s CEO, the high-ranked officials “said nothing” after experiencing the driving dynamics of the electric models. Judging from the fact that the project has received the green light for production, this was probably a good reaction.