Exclusive for Macron: the stretched DS No. 7 Élysée with hydropneumatic suspension

It would seem that Citroen and its premium offshoot DS have long since abandoned hydropneumatic suspension, but if the top brass ever need such a suspension, it will be brought back into service. Emmanuel Macron will see out his second presidential term in comfort!

For the latest Bastille Day, French President Emmanuel Macron was given another new car, even though the previous one — the DS No. 8 Presidential — had only arrived relatively recently, in May last year.

I recall that for his first inauguration as President, Macron toured Paris in a DS 7 Crossback crossover in a special Presidentiel version, whose main difference from the standard car was a sliding fabric roof — it allowed Macron to stand at full height in the crossover during the journey and greet citizens.

Later, an extended and armoured DS 7 Crossback Elysee was built for Macron, then it was replaced by the facelifted DS 7 Elysee (no longer bearing the Crossback suffix), then came the aforementioned DS No. 8 Presidential, and now the French leader has switched to the DS No. 7 Elysee.

The production DS No. 7 made its debut in March this year — it is a five-seat crossover straddling the C and D segments, with a wheelbase of 2790 mm and an overall length of 4660 mm. For Macron, the wheelbase has been extended by 250 mm, and the side body panels have been organically reshaped. The body is, of course, armoured, though the level of armouring is not specified in the press release.

What Macron's presidential DS models have never had before is hydropneumatic suspension, and now it has finally been 'bolted on' to the presidential car for extra comfort. Technical details are classified, so it is unclear whether this suspension was taken from some retired Citroen, built from scratch, or sourced from elsewhere. The last production Citroen with hydropneumatic suspension was the second-generation mid-size C5 in saloon and estate forms, whose production in France ended in 2017.

The DS No. 7 Elysee is finished in an exclusive blue called Liberty Blue, and is equipped with emergency lights and mountings for flagpoles. The interior has not been revealed for security reasons, but the description mentions exclusive leather and Alcantara upholstery, while the dashboard is trimmed in ash wood veneer, laser-engraved with a portrait of Marianne (the symbol of the French Republic).

The powertrain in the DS No. 7 Elysee is standard, electric, taken from the E-Tense AWD Long Range version: two electric motors (front and rear) produce a combined 350 hp. The battery capacity is 97.2 kWh; the range on a single charge is not stated, but it is clearly less than that of the standard DS No. 7 E-Tense AWD Long Range (up to 740 km on the WLTP cycle). The performance figures for the DS No. 7 Elysee have not been disclosed. The standard DS No. 7 E-Tense AWD Long Range reaches 62 mph in 5.4 seconds, with a top speed limited to 190 km/h.