The next DS No4 is being previewed not by a mild facelift, but by a concept that barely looks like a conventional car at all, with bodywork wrapped tightly around radical aero hardware. Instead of smoothing the existing hatchback into a sleeker shape, DS Automobiles is using a wild design study to hint at a future No4 successor that treats airflow, stance, and racing influence as its starting point rather than an afterthought. The result is a machine that blurs the line between road car and Formula E pit lane, and it signals how far the brand is prepared to push its compact EV.
A hatchback that wants to be a race car
From my perspective, the clearest message in the Taylor Made N°4 Concept is that DS is no longer content with the No4 being just another premium hatchback. The show car takes the familiar five-door silhouette and stretches it into something lower, wider, and more aggressive, with a body kit that visually pulls the car closer to the asphalt and exaggerates its track width. Reports on the Taylor Made N°4 describe a very assertive front end, heavily sculpted bumpers, and a rear treatment that looks more like a racing diffuser than a traditional valance, all of which underline that this is a performance-led reinterpretation of the existing No4 rather than a simple trim exercise.
The Formula E connection is not subtle, and that is precisely the point. The concept was developed with a young Formula E driver, Taylo, and the design team has leaned into that partnership with details that echo single-seater race cars, from the extreme aero add-ons to the motorsport-inspired graphics and lighting signatures. Coverage of the Taylor Made N°4 notes that the car has received an “extreme Formula E makeover,” with elements such as a pronounced rear wing, track-style wheels, and a stance that would look at home in the paddock, reinforcing the idea that the next No4 will be shaped as much by DS Performance’s racing program as by traditional hatchback norms.
Radical aero hints at a “barely-a-car” body
What makes this concept feel like a preview of something “barely a car” is the way its bodywork seems to exist purely to serve the airflow. Instead of broad, unbroken surfaces, the Taylor Made N°4 is described as wearing a very aggressive body kit with deep cut-outs, channels, and fins that guide air around the wheels and along the flanks. At the front, the bumper and splitter appear to carve the air into distinct streams, while the side skirts and rear diffuser extend far enough that they read as functional aero devices rather than decorative cladding. The overall impression is of a shell that has been hollowed and sharpened until only the essential aerodynamic structures remain.
The lighting and surface treatment reinforce this impression of a car that has been pixelated and reassembled around its aero priorities. Reports from the Brussels Motor Show describe “pixilated” lighting signatures and intricate surface textures that break up the mass of the body, making the No4 look more like a digital rendering brought to life than a conventional production car. The two-tone paint and special finishes, including a “Craft Titanium” fabric used in the cabin, further emphasize the concept’s experimental nature, suggesting that DS is using this car to test how far it can push both aerodynamics and visual drama before the No4’s successor becomes too radical for the road.
From Taylor Made showpiece to DS No4 successor
For all its extremity, I read the Taylor Made N°4 as a carefully calibrated preview of the next-generation No4 rather than a pure fantasy. DS has been explicit that this souped-up version of its No4 hatchback showcases new design elements expected to appear in future road cars, particularly performance-focused variants. The concept’s sharpened front end, its distinctive light signatures, and its more muscular stance are all being positioned as cues that will migrate into mainstream DS models, including the eventual replacement for the current No4. In that sense, the car functions as a rolling manifesto for how DS intends to evolve its compact EV line-up.
The company is also openly exploring a breakthrough new bodystyle for the future DS No4, and the Taylor Made N°4 gives a strong indication of what that might entail. Reporting on DS’s plans for the No4 replacement describes the brand as aiming for “a whole new type of car,” one that blends hatchback practicality with coupé-like proportions and crossover-inspired presence. The radical aero treatment of the concept, combined with its low roofline and wide track, points toward a successor that will sit somewhere between traditional segments, using its distinctive shape and racing-derived details to stand apart from more conservative rivals in the compact EV class.
Design freedom, gaming culture, and Formula E influence
What fascinates me most about this project is how openly DS talks about the creative freedom behind it. The Taylor Made N°4 Concept was completed by the DS Design Studio with what has been described as “Design Freedom Without Market Pressure,” a rare opportunity for a mainstream brand to build a car without the usual constraints of cost, packaging, or regulatory compromise. That freedom is visible in the concept’s exaggerated aero, its intricate lighting, and its unconventional materials, including the aforementioned Craft Titanium fabric, which would be challenging to justify in a high-volume production context but makes perfect sense in a design-led showpiece.
The collaboration with Taylo and the nods to the world of video games add another layer to the story. DS has framed the Taylor Made N°4 as a bridge between its Formula E program and the digital culture that surrounds modern performance cars, with styling cues that evoke virtual racing titles as much as real-world circuits. References to the “world of video games” in coverage of the concept underline how the designers have embraced pixelated graphics, sharp-edged forms, and exaggerated proportions that feel at home on a gaming screen. By channeling both Formula E technology and gaming aesthetics, DS is positioning the future No4 as a car that speaks directly to a generation raised on esports and electric racing rather than on traditional combustion hot hatches.
From Brussels show stand to future performance line
The setting for the Taylor Made N°4’s debut is also telling. DS Automobiles chose the 2026 Brussels Motor Show to pull the covers off this custom N°4 concept EV, signaling that it sees the car as a statement piece for a European audience that is increasingly receptive to bold electric performance models. Reports from Brussels describe the show starting “with a bang” as DS revealed the striking concept, highlighting its aggressive body kit, its bespoke materials, and its role as a showcase for elements destined for future DS Performance Line road cars. In other words, this is not a one-off styling exercise, but a preview of a broader performance strategy.
That strategy appears to revolve around using the No4 as a launchpad for a family of hotter DS models that borrow heavily from Formula E. Coverage of the Taylor Made N°4 emphasizes that it “showcases elements coming to future performance versions of mainstream DS models,” suggesting that features such as the aero package, the distinctive lighting, and the motorsport-inspired interior will be selectively adapted for production. As the No4’s successor takes shape, I expect DS to retain the core idea of a compact EV while wrapping it in a body that, like this concept, looks as if it has been carved by the wind and tuned on a race circuit, even if the final car will inevitably be more restrained than the barely-a-car showpiece that previewed it.
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