DS Automobiles pivots from Formula E to SailGP in next phase of electric innovation strategy
DS Automobiles is preparing to draw a line under one of the most successful manufacturer tenures in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, as the French premium brand pivots its motorsport and innovation strategy towards sailing’s cutting-edge SailGP series.
After 11 years in Formula E, the Stellantis-owned marque will conclude its participation at the end of Season 12, bringing to a close a chapter that delivered four championship titles, 18 race victories, 55 podium finishes and 26 pole positions. The programme has positioned DS as one of the most successful manufacturers in the all-electric racing series and a benchmark for performance and efficiency in the discipline.
Having entered Formula E in Season 2 in 2015 as the first premium brand to join the grid, DS Automobiles has competed in 142 races across five continents. Over that period, it has worked alongside leading global manufacturers while developing three generations of increasingly sophisticated single-seaters through its DS Performance division.
Crucially, the programme has served as a powerful innovation accelerator. Advances in electrified powertrains, energy management systems and overall vehicle efficiency developed on track have been translated into road-going models, including the latest DS N°4, DS N°7 and DS N°8, which now offer up to 750 kilometres of all-electric range.
While DS remains committed to competing through to the end of the current season, with ambitions to finish strongly, including a podium push at the Madrid E-Prix, the brand is now reshaping its long-term approach to motorsport and technology development.
Central to that shift is a new strategic partnership with SailGP Team France, announced earlier this year. The move signals a deliberate evolution away from single-seater racing towards a broader innovation platform where engineering disciplines intersect with new forms of performance and design thinking.
Competition sailing, particularly at SailGP level, offers a high-tech environment that aligns closely with DS Automobiles’ future development priorities. Areas such as aerodynamic efficiency, drag reduction, advanced composite materials and software optimisation are all critical both to high-performance sailing and next-generation automotive engineering.
By entering SailGP, DS aims to explore these technologies in a new context while maintaining the core principle that has underpinned its Formula E programme: using elite-level competition as a real-world laboratory for innovation.
The shift also reflects a broader ambition to connect technological performance with emotional engagement, a theme increasingly central to premium automotive brands as electrification reshapes the industry.
Xavier Peugeot, CEO of DS Automobiles, described the transition as a natural progression following more than a decade of success in Formula E.
“After 11 years of pioneering commitment to Formula E, 18 victories, two drivers’ and two manufacturers’ titles, DS Automobiles has demonstrated its ability to transform competition into a high-tech reality,” he said.
“To take French excellence even further, we are now taking a new step by orienting our partnership strategy towards SailGP, a unique laboratory of innovation where technological performance and emotion meet.”
The decision comes at a time when motorsport itself is undergoing a transformation, with manufacturers increasingly seeking platforms that offer not only visibility but also tangible relevance to future product development.
For DS Automobiles, Formula E has delivered both, acting as a global showcase while accelerating the brand’s transition towards electrification. The move to SailGP suggests the next phase will be less about pure racing pedigree and more about cross-disciplinary innovation.
As the brand prepares to close its Formula E chapter, its legacy within the championship remains significant, not just in terms of silverware, but in demonstrating how electric racing can serve as a bridge between competition and commercial technology.
The next chapter, played out on water rather than tarmac, will test whether that same philosophy can deliver equally transformative results.
