The Super-Slippery DS No8 Will Cost From £50,790

Lots of things about the new DS No8 are strange: its name, for one, as well as its segment-busting body style that’s part-crossover, part-fastback, part-speedboat. Now, we know what all this oddly appealing strangeness will cost: the No8 starts at £50,790.

Yes, No8 really is its name. Seemingly tired of the un-Google-ability of much of its current range, Citroen’s posh offshoot is starting to stick ‘No’ – as in ‘number’ – in its new models’ names.

The No8’s shape, meanwhile, with its tapering tail, is inspired by the original big wafty Citroen, the one that gives the company’s posh offshoot brand its name.

That’s all very deliberate because the No8 – an EV – has been designed to be as aero-friendly as can be. It has flush door handles, active air flaps in the front that shut off when less cooling is needed, and a front end designed to slice, speedboat-like, through the air. Drag coefficient, overall, is a fish-like 0.24 – even lower than that long-held benchmark for slippery cars, the Vauxhall Calibra.

That means that the front-wheel drive long-range version, called… the FWD Long Range, will manage a quoted 466 miles on a charge, among the very best in class. On that version, you’re getting a 97.2kWh battery and a front-axle motor making 242bhp and 253lb ft of torque. It’ll hit 62mph in 7.8 seconds. It’ll cost from £54,690 in entry-level Pallas trim or £59,290 for the posher Etoile.

If you want a bit more pace, you’ll need the AWD Long Range, which has the same battery but chucks a motor on the back axle too for a total of 345bhp and 375lb ft. That’ll manage 62mph in 5.4 seconds, although you’re taking an inevitable hit in range – an estimated 426 miles. Only available in top Etoile trim, it’s the most expensive of the lot, starting at £63,290.

The basic version, meanwhile, is front-wheel drive and gets a smaller 74kWh battery. That makes 227bhp and 253lb ft, but is actually a tenth quicker to 62mph than the more powerful FWD car. Quoted range is 355 miles. Regardless of version, you’re getting a 118mph top speed. Naturally, this is the most affordable powertrain – £50,790 for the Pallas, and £54,790 for the Etoile.

The interior is equally full of French strangeness, with a big wraparound dash, four-spoke steering wheel and, sadly, not many buttons. In here, you’ve got the choice of a range of unusual vegan-friendly materials plus the usual posh Nappa leather.

Other bits of tech include DS’s Active Scan suspension that scans the road and pre-prepares the car for rough stuff, and some very fancy ‘Pixelvision’ adaptive headlights.

The No8 won’t be the only genre-defying electric aero-barge to come from Stellantis – it’s set to share plenty with the upcoming Lancia Gamma, which will be built alongside the No8 in the company’s plant in Melfi, southern Italy. The car with the Italian badge won’t come to the UK, though. The DS, meanwhile, will arrive here in the second half of 2025.