A new chapter is opening in the relationship between the WELP Group and DS Automobiles. After creating DS 7 ÉLYSÉE for the Presidency of the French Republic, the two organisations are offering a new armoured model: DS 7 VAUBAN.
DS 7 ÉLYSÉE is a unique design using DS 7 E-TENSE 4×4 300 as a base with armour, a chassis lengthened by approximately twenty centimetres behind the central pillar and special equipment to turn it into a working tool.
The enthusiasm generated by this exclusive model paved the way for the development of a small batch of armoured DS 7s.
The result of a new collaboration between the WELP Group and DS Automobiles, DS 7 VAUBAN is built by WELP France in Hérimoncourt, after the takeover of part of a former Stellantis site.
DS 7 VAUBAN takes its name from the fortifications built at the end of the 17th century. Vauban’s fortifications – numbering twelve across ten different departments (counties) – are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In total, the Marquis Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban supervised more than a hundred fortifications – forts that are part of cities, standalone or in compounds – in France and Europe. In Asia and Africa, several citadels and fortresses adopted the system established by Vauban.
DS 7 VAUBAN is designed as a special protected car based on DS 7 E-TENSE 4×4 300. Aramids, a class of lightweight materials that are especially resistant to impacts and heat, and safety glass strengthen the vehicle for a VPAM 4 level of protection. The interior’s transformation was overseen by upholsterers, ensuring a remarkable level of refinement.
In addition to the extra equipment available in the brochure, groups of options are available on request, both for protection (automatic fire extinguishers, closed-circuit ventilation, siren and intercom etc…), for passenger comfort (extra USB sockets, reading lights etc…) or vehicle personalisation (body colours, interior trim, stitching, flag holders).
The first examples will be available from April 2024.
