Is the DS SM Tribute concept a retro hit or a bit of a miss?

Jason Barlow: “The Tribute has that sci-fi aura about it”

A week after Renault revealed the new-not-new 17, DS unveiled the Tribute.

I’m not down with playing fast and loose with the brands, and pillaging the past indicates a certain lack of imagination, but honestly, who cares when the result is this good? The original still captivates because it’s from an era when designers went slightly nuts and did cars that looked like spaceships.

The new one has that sci-fi aura about it, too. Love the nose treatment, love the proportions, love the semi-spat effect on the rear wheels. And it’s not actually that retro. This is how I’ll take my big electric super coupe – French and eccentric.

Ollie Kew: “Why is this merely a dreamy concept car?”

At last, DS finally remembers what it’s actually here for. It is, after all, named after one of the most innovative, daring, beautiful cars of all time.

But why is this merely a dreamy concept car with vague notions of showcasing future styling directions? After all, the Stellantis bosses are scowling at the jagged red graphs on their balance sheets, looking for low hanging rotten fruit to cull.

Underachieving DS is overripe for being put out of its misery, so instead of mucking about with notions of what might be nice in the future, pull le finger out and actually make and sell the Tribute, before the future never comes.

[Turns out, DS is considering a way to make and sell the Tribute after all...]