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DS Automobiles Adds Formula E Flair With New DS PERFORMANCE Line

DS Automobiles is leaning hard into its Formula E pedigree, and for 2026 the payoff comes in the form of a new, France-market Limited Edition DS PERFORMANCE Line. Available across the DS 3, the all-new N°4, and the flagship DS 7, this trim is designed to bring motorsport-inspired styling and tech to the road without forcing buyers into the uppermost luxury brackets. Think of it as DS’s way of letting everyday drivers dip a toe into its electric racing DNA—minus the noise, plus the polish.

Beginning December 1, customers in France can place orders, with showroom displays and test drives scheduled for January 2026. And while the brand talks a lot about elegance, materials, and craftsmanship—this is DS, after all—the PERFORMANCE Line also quietly adds more standard kit than the already well-equipped Pallas spec.

Formula E Comes to the Street

The guiding theme is straight from the DS E-TENSE FE25 Formula E car: satin gold accents, gloss-black details, Alcantara everywhere, and an overall vibe that says “quietly quick.” Xavier Peugeot, CEO of DS Automobiles, describes the series as a way to bring “refinement and passion from the circuits to the road.” Fortunately, the cars avoid looking like rolling billboards; instead, they pick up tasteful references—badges, trim pieces, stitching—that reward a second glance.

Tech also gets a meaningful boost. DS continues to lean on its partnership with ChatGPT, first introduced in early 2024. Now integrated deeper into the DS IRIS infotainment system, it gains a “Latest News” feature capable of summarizing current events, sports, culture, and more with natural speech. The feature arrives in December on all DS 3, N°4, and DS 7 models that already support natural voice recognition.

Three Models, One Motorsport Identity

All three PERFORMANCE Line vehicles share similar finishing cues, but each expresses them differently depending on the body style and target audience.

DS 3 PERFORMANCE Line: Compact but Confident

The smallest model in the lineup gets one of the boldest appearances. The rear pillar carries a black-and-gold graphic inspired directly by DS’s Formula E livery, while satin gold touches—mirror caps, grille badge, tailgate lettering—contrast with the standard black roof. It’s subtle but effective.

Inside, Alcantara wraps the seats, dash, and door panels, paired with exclusive stitching and a frameless auto-dimming rearview mirror. Standard equipment includes heated seats, 360-degree vision, blind-spot monitoring, and distinctive 17-inch OSLO wheels with gold center caps.

Powertrains:

  • 100% Electric E-TENSE
  • HYBRID 145

France Pricing:

  • HYBRID 145: €37,350
  • E-TENSE electric: €43,200
  • HYBRID lease: from €355/month (48 months / 40,000 km)

N°4 PERFORMANCE Line: A Stylish New Contender

The new N°4 stands out even before the PERFORMANCE Line treatment, thanks to its sharp front lighting signature inspired by the DS E-TENSE PERFORMANCE concept. Add the satin gold accents and Formula E-style rear pillar trim, and it becomes one of the more aggressive hatchbacks in its class—without sacrificing the upscale attitude DS is known for.

DS loads this trim with tech: the IRIS system with AI voice assistant, three years of connected services, EV routing for the electric version, acoustic privacy glass, and a choice of 19-inch wheel designs depending on powertrain. A full Alcantara interior is standard.

Powertrains:

  • 100% Electric E-TENSE (213 hp, up to 450 km WLTP)
  • HYBRID
  • PLUG-IN HYBRID 225
  • BlueHDi Diesel

France Pricing:

  • HYBRID 145: €40,100
  • BlueHDi 130 Auto: €41,700
  • E-TENSE electric: €48,190
  • PLUG-IN HYBRID 225: €49,000
  • HYBRID lease: from €395/month (36 months / 30,000 km)

DS 7 PERFORMANCE Line: The Luxury SUV With an Edge

The DS 7 has always leaned toward elegance over aggression, but the PERFORMANCE Line trim adds just enough motorsport flavor to toughen its stance. Satin-gold “7” badging, black grille with gold DS emblem, satin-gold mirrors, and black 19-inch SILVERSTONE wheels distinguish it from mainstream premium SUVs.

Its interior remains one of the highlights of the DS lineup—quiet, plush, and tastefully detailed. Standard kit includes DS Drive Assist, 360 Vision, hands-free power tailgate, wireless charging, and PERFORMANCE Line dashboard branding.

Powertrains:

  • BlueHDi 130 Automatic

France Pricing:

  • BlueHDi 130 Automatic: €52,650
  • Lease: from €540/month (48 months / 40,000 km)

The DS PERFORMANCE Line isn’t about pushing big horsepower or delivering track-ready dynamics. Instead, it’s about infusing DS’s three core models with its electric-racing identity—through materials, design, and tech that hint at its Formula E success without overwhelming the everyday-luxury ethos of the brand.

With competitive leasing, upgraded equipment, and a distinct motorsport-inspired look, the performance-lite approach makes these cars feel more special without requiring buyers to step into a full-blown performance variant. And in today’s EV-forward, tech-heavy market, that might be exactly the sweet spot DS needs.

Source: Stellantis

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From Hybrids to Human Capital: Lamborghini Reaffirms UNI/PdR 125:2022 Gender-Equality Status

Automobili Lamborghini builds cars with the subtlety of a thunderclap—Aventadors, Huracáns, and Revuelto hybrids engineered to overwhelm the senses. But behind the gates of Sant’Agata Bolognese, the company is working just as aggressively on something far quieter but no less ambitious: reshaping the culture of its workforce.

This year, Lamborghini once again secured the UNI/PdR 125:2022 gender-equality certification, a rigorous Italian government–backed standard issued by DNV. It’s not a marketing badge or a PR flourish; earning it requires measurable progress in equal-opportunity KPIs, workplace culture, parental support, and inclusion. Lamborghini first earned the certification in 2022. Now, its renewal confirms that the effort wasn’t a one-off initiative—it’s becoming part of the company’s structure.

“We are proud to have obtained this certification once again,” said Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini’s Chairman and CEO. “It is concrete proof of our commitment to promoting gender equality within the company… an incentive to continue along the path we have undertaken.”

Closing Gaps, Opening Doors

The numbers out of Sant’Agata tell a story most automakers would envy: Lamborghini reports a pay-gap difference of just 0.04%—and in favor of women. The company has been tightening these metrics for years, monitoring advancement pathways, managerial access, and representation across departments.

This emphasis isn’t confined to Lamborghini’s walls. In 2019, the brand helped form CapoD—an equal-opportunities network created by eight major Bologna-area companies. The goal: dismantling regional gender stereotypes and steering more students, especially young women, toward STEM careers. As of 2024, Lamborghini now leads the network.

Parenthood as Part of Performance

Supercar companies specialize in high output, but Lamborghini is proving that productivity doesn’t require sacrificing parenthood or well-being.

The company has long treated parental support as a cultural pillar. Fathers are encouraged—not discouraged—to take optional parental leave, and the percentage doing so has increased more than 10% since 2022. Additional protections cover single parents and employees caring for children with disabilities. To help new mothers and fathers recalibrate their work-life balance, Lamborghini offers “Mum Coaching” and “Dad Coaching”—guided programs designed to help parents navigate new responsibilities without giving up career momentum.

The brand’s supplemental contract also restructures working hours and expands flexibility—modernizing the traditional industrial schedule in a way few manufacturers have attempted. Employees can take advantage of up to 12 days of smart working each month, a notable shift in a sector still rooted in on-site production.

Teaching Inclusion Like a Craft

You can’t engineer inclusion the way you engineer a V12. But Lamborghini is treating it with similar discipline. Employees receive a suite of training that ranges from unconscious-bias awareness to respectful communication, equal-opportunity education, and preventing harassment and bullying. These aren’t optional PR seminars—they’re part of the company’s operating system.

In 2024, Lamborghini launched a communication effort focused on the power of language in shaping workplace culture. At the center is the “Equabolario,” an internally developed dictionary promoting inclusive terminology. Through workshops and editorial content, the initiative asks employees to re-examine how words influence belonging and respect.

Beyond the Factory Walls

The automaker is collaborating with institutions and universities to widen its impact. Alongside MUNER—the Motor Valley University of Emilia-Romagna—Lamborghini helped establish the Gender and Diversity Empowerment Committee. One of its first projects, “MUNER Drives Change,” works directly with students and educators, aiming to dismantle stereotypes about who “belongs” in engineering and high-performance automotive fields.

Combined with its leadership in CapoD and ongoing partnership with Valore D, Lamborghini is pushing regional and industry-wide conversations forward, not just internal metrics.

The Road Ahead

For a company known for outrageous horsepower, scissor doors, and carbon-fiber drama, Lamborghini’s inclusion agenda might seem like a quieter pursuit. But Sant’Agata sees it differently. To them, it’s another high-stakes engineering challenge—one that demands precision, persistence, and long-term investment.

Diversity, they say, is a resource. Inclusion is a goal. And the workplace is not just where cars are built, but where the future of the brand—and the people who shape it—is forged.

In an industry obsessed with the next big engine, Lamborghini is betting that its next breakthrough won’t come from a dyno bench, but from creating a culture where talent thrives because of who people are, not in spite of it.

Source: Lamborghini

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Inside the World of Lamborghini’s Few-Off Masterpieces — and the Collector Who Owns Them All

Lamborghini has never been shy about building drama into metal, carbon fiber, and fire. But among its wild catalog of V12 icons and technicolor supercars lies a far rarer species: the few-offs. These ultra-limited machines—built in single or double digits—operate on the razor’s edge between prototype and production car, where styling experiments meet experimental tech and the boldest ideas escape the sketchbook.

That philosophy crystallized in 2007 with the Reventón, the stealth-fighter-styled V12 missile that formally opened Lamborghini’s modern era of few-offs. What followed was a lineage of unicorns: the Sesto Elemento in 2010, the outrageous Veneno in 2013, the elegant Centenario in 2017, the hybrid-assisted Sián in 2019, and the retro-future Countach LPI 800-4 in 2021. Each was built in vanishingly small numbers, each a snapshot of Lamborghini’s next leap forward. Many of their innovations—design lines, aerodynamics, carbon structures—would eventually filter into full-production models.

But to Albert Spiess, one of the world’s most respected Lamborghini collectors, these cars aren’t just milestones; they’re chapters in a personal pursuit of perfection. For the first time, he’s sharing how that passion began—and why few-offs became the backbone of his legendary collection.

A Countach That Changed Everything

Spiess remembers the spark vividly: his first Lamborghini, a 1979 Countach LP400 S, bought before “collecting” was even a concept he cared about.

“It changed the way I saw cars,” he recalls. That Countach led him to a Miura SV, then a Silhouette, and eventually to a realization: if he truly wanted to chase the best, he needed to understand the rarest Lamborghinis ever built—the ones most people would never even see.

Few-offs fit his mindset perfectly. They were exotic even by Lamborghini standards, each one a technological or stylistic experiment. Spiess’ goal became clear: one example of every few-off model produced. And today, that’s exactly what sits in his garage.

The Six Modern Few-Off Legends — and Why He Chose Each One

For Spiess, each car arrived with purpose.

  • Reventón Roadster (2007) — “Its shape,” he says, “was the basis for the Aventador-era V12s.” Angular, predatory, unmistakably modern—this car previewed a decade of Lamborghini identity.
  • Sesto Elemento (2010) — His favorite. Built almost entirely from structural carbon fiber and weighing barely over 2,200 pounds, it was an engineering thunderbolt. “Its lightness and technical content are extraordinary.”
  • Veneno Roadster (2013) — A rolling spaceship. “Its design is extraordinary,” he says, and he’s not exaggerating. The Veneno looks more like a Le Mans prototype that escaped from the pit lane than a street car.
  • Centenario (2017) — Ordered not for its power or numbers but for the feeling it gave him. “The excitement of owning something so rare and unique,” he explains. Only 20 coupes and 20 roadsters exist.
  • Sián Roadster (2019) — The first Lamborghini with a hybrid system, pairing electric tech with a raging V12. Spiess saw it as the beginning of a new propulsion era for Sant’Agata.
  • Countach LPI 800-4 (2021) — A tribute to the original Countach prototype from 1971, a car Spiess helped restore through Lamborghini Polo Storico. For him, this wasn’t just a purchase—it was a full-circle moment.

The Emotion Behind the Machines

For someone with such a meticulous approach to collecting, Spiess says the final decision to buy a few-off is surprisingly simple.

“Every time,” he admits, “I become as excited as I did the very first time, when I bought my first Countach.”

That may be the real secret to his collection: not money, not rarity, but genuine awe. Even with one of the world’s finest stables of Lamborghinis, he manages to feel like a kid seeing a supercar poster for the first time.

More Than Machines

Standing back from the list, Lamborghini’s few-off program looks almost like a heartbeat chart—each spike a bold experiment, a risk taken, a defiance of convention. And collectors like Spiess ensure these cars are more than just production numbers; they become stories, pieces of history, and chapters in one person’s lifelong dialogue with design and performance.

If Lamborghini’s few-offs hint at where the brand’s future is headed, collectors like Spiess remind us why these cars matter: not because they’re rare, but because they make us feel something rare.

Source: Lamborghini

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