Safety first
French President Emmanuel Macron is taken from A to B in a lengthened and armored DS 7. That special SUV, called DS 7 Élysée, will have a derivative that is also for sale to those who are not head of state. This is the DS 7 Vauban.
At the end of 2021, DS presented the DS 7 Élysée into the light of day. The armored and extended DS 7 served to replace the DS 7 ‘Presidential’ that the French head of state previously used. DS now comes with the DS 7 Vauban. That is also an armored SUV, but one that will be built in a small series and, in theory, can therefore be purchased by everyone.
The DS 7 Élysée in which Macron is driven from A to B.
According to DS, ‘enthusiasm’ surrounding the DS 7 Élysée has prompted the brand to build a small number of armored copies of the DS 7. That car will have the addition Vauban after its model name, a reference to Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, a French master builder who was the mastermind behind a considerable series of French fortifications in the seventeenth century.
The DS 7 Vauban is the result of the collaboration between DS Automobiles and WELP Group, a specialist in the field of armored transport. Like the DS 7 Élysée, the Vauban is based on the plug-in hybrid DS 7 E-Tense 4×4 300, but unlike the version for the French president, it has not been extended. The DS 7 Vauban is equipped with safety glass and heat-resistant materials such as aramid. The car is further loaded with all the goodies that DS has on the options list for the regular DS 7. But there’s more. DS gives the DS 7 Vauban automatic fire extinguishers, a closed ventilation system, an intercom, a siren and things such as reading lights and extra USB connections. The DS 7 Vauban must be further customizable. The first copies of the DS 7 Vauban should be available in April next year. Additional images and information regarding the Dutch market are not yet available.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl