If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a carmaker hands the keys—creatively speaking—to a Formula E hotshoe with a gamer’s eye for detail, the answer is sitting under the lights at the Brussels Motor Show. It’s called the DS “Taylor made N°4 Concept,” and it’s part styling exercise, part motorsport flex, and part very French reminder that DS Automobiles takes its electric racing seriously.
Unveiled by DS CEO Xavier Peugeot at the brand’s Brussels press conference, the concept celebrates Taylor Barnard, the young rising star of the DS PENSKE Formula E Team, and it does so with the kind of theatrical confidence you’d expect from a brand that has spent more than a decade chasing trophies in Formula E—and winning four of them along the way.
At its core, the Taylor made N°4 Concept is based on the DS N°4, a compact premium hatch that DS considers central to its lineup. But calling this show car a dressed-up N°4 is like calling a Formula E car a modified commuter EV. The proportions are meaner, the stance is wider, and the whole thing looks like it escaped from a high-end racing game before the developers had a chance to tone it down for realism.
Front and center is an oversized, unapologetic “N°4” graphic embedded in the grille, framed by a light signature that stays faithful to the production car while dialing up the drama. The pixel-style headlamps lean hard into the sci-fi aesthetic, signaling that this is a car more interested in tomorrow than yesterday.
Designed by a Driver, Filtered by a Studio
What makes this concept more than just another motorshow sculpture is the process behind it. DS’s designers didn’t simply slap Barnard’s name on the fender and call it a day. Instead, the DS Design Studio worked directly with the driver, translating his preferences—shaped by racing and video games—into something that still feels cohesive and, crucially, believable.
Barnard asked for contrasts: dark, monochrome surfaces broken up by subtle color hits. He wanted something technical, something performance-driven, and something personal. The result is a car that looks less like a traditional concept and more like a spec sheet brought to life.
Aerodynamics play a starring role. The body is smoothed and tightened, the ride height is dropped, and the tracks are pushed outward, giving the N°4 a squat, planted look that wouldn’t be out of place in a digital garage menu. DS even admits the proportions take inspiration from video games—and honestly, that explains why it looks so aggressively “right” from every angle.
Barnard himself sums it up best: this isn’t a dream car locked behind velvet ropes; it’s a sports car he could imagine driving every day. High praise, considering most concepts barely survive the show stand.
Titanium, Four Ways
DS’s Colours, Materials and Finishes (CMF) team went all-in, treating the concept the way a Formula E team treats a race weekend: every detail matters. The unifying theme is titanium, interpreted in four distinct finishes that give the car depth without resorting to visual chaos.
There’s Pure Titanium, raw and precise, emphasizing the sharpness of the lines. Liquid Titanium adds gloss and reflection, highlighting the car’s flow and curvature. Then things get interesting with Craft Titanium, a crinkled, metal-like textile inspired by racing applications. It replaces traditional carbon fiber in aero-critical areas like the splitter and lower body, and it’s finished by hand—a nod to craftsmanship in a world increasingly obsessed with automation.
Finally, Black Titanium caps things off on the roof and spoiler, grounding the design and giving the whole car a more sinister edge.
Accents are handled with restraint, which is refreshing. Light Gold, the signature color of DS PERFORMANCE, appears on mirrors, wheel centers, and badges. Subtle purple highlights—Barnard’s favorite color—pop up inside and out, while his racing number, 77, is integrated almost as an Easter egg, illuminated in places like the diffuser lighting.
It’s detail-heavy without being desperate, which is harder to pull off than it sounds.
Motorsport Cred, Road-Going Relevance
DS is keen to stress that this concept isn’t just an art project. Displayed alongside Barnard’s DS E-TENSE FE25 Formula E car, the Taylor made N°4 Concept acts as a bridge to the newly launched DS PERFORMANCE Line Limited Edition, available on the DS 3, N°4, and DS 7.
The production N°4 itself backs up the talk with one of the broadest electrified lineups in its segment. The fully electric N°4 E-TENSE delivers 213 horsepower and up to 450 km of WLTP range, plus features like in-car EV routing, battery preconditioning, and remote charging control. A plug-in hybrid follows with up to 240 hp and 81 km of electric-only range, while a conventional hybrid rounds out the lineup with up to 1,000 km between fuel stops.
In other words, beneath all the titanium and pixel lighting, there’s a real car doing real work for the brand.
From Brussels to Roblox
Because it’s 2026-adjacent and reality alone is no longer enough, DS is also taking the Taylor made N°4 Concept digital. In partnership with Voldex, the car will appear in Driving Empire on Roblox, letting players buy, customize, and drive the concept in a virtual world sometime next year.
It’s a smart move—and a telling one. DS isn’t just chasing lap times or design awards; it’s courting the next generation of enthusiasts where they already live.
The Taylor made N°4 Concept may never hit a public road, but it doesn’t feel like a dead end. Instead, it’s a sharp, confident statement: DS knows exactly who it’s talking to—and it’s speaking their language fluently.
Source: DS Automobiles