The DS No8 Is A Funky Electric Aero Wedge With A Strange Name

France – Citroen in particular – has a grand tradition of big, appealingly odd-looking cars designed to scythe through the air as cleanly as possible. Welcome to the latest member of that lineage which, officially at least, isn’t a Citroen: the DS No8.

Yes, that 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.

Anyway, that’s only one of the odd things about this car. Another is its unusual shape, with a tapering tail that recalls the original big wafty Citroen, the one that gives the DS 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.

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.

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.

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.

No word yet on when the No8 will be on sale in the UK, or how much it’ll cost, but we do know it won’t be the only genre-busting 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.