AFTER creating the DS 7 Elysee for the Presidency of the French Republic, DS Automobiles has announced the creation of the DS 7 Vauban, an armoured plug-in hybrid.

The car is being produced in conjunction with the WELP Group and the first models will be available from April 2024.

The DS 7 Elysee is a unique design using DS 7 E-Tense 4x4 300 as a base with armour, a chassis lengthened by approximately 20 centimetres behind the central pillar and special equipment to protect occupants.

The DS 7 Vauban is of similar design and uses lightweight materials that are especially resistant to impact and heat and safety glass which are to VPAM 4 level of ballistics protection.

Further specification enhancements are available on request such as automatic fire extinguishers, closed-circuit ventilation, siren and intercom, extra USB sockets, reading lights and vehicle personalisation on the interior trim, stitching as well as flag holders.

The DS 7 Vauban takes its name from a series of forts built at the end of the 17th century.

Vauban's fortifications - twelve across western, northern and eastern borders of France - are listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

The Marquis Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban supervised more than a hundred forts that are part of cities, standalone or in compounds thoughout France and Europe. Several citadels and fortresses in Asia and Africa also adopted the systems established by Vauban.