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The 2024 DS SM Tribute is Stellantis' homage to the classic Citroën SM from the 1970s, celebrating DS Automobiles’ decade-long journey by drawing on one of Citroën’s most revered models. This concept, designed to mirror the spirit and proportions of the original SM, hints at DS Automobiles’ future design direction. The SM Tribute reimagines the Citroën SM's iconic elements, like its aerodynamic shape and avant-garde aesthetics, but modernizes them with cutting-edge technology and materials.
The DS SM Tribute features a distinctive two-tone body inspired by the 1971 "Gold Leaf" color, complemented by aerodynamic touches like partially covered rear wheels and large 22-inch wheels. Its 3D front screen, framed by LED running lights in triad form, replaces the SM’s original glass front panel, while the rear retains the SM’s characteristic narrowing, maintaining the original's sleek flow from front to rear. The car’s dimensions stay faithful to the 1970s model, with minor adjustments that lend a more muscular presence. The SM Tribute is designed as if the SM's legacy continued evolving over decades, blending elements from DS’s own concept models, like the Aero Sport Lounge.
Inside, the SM Tribute merges luxury with high-tech minimalism. Ivory leather and Alcantara wrap the cabin, where DS’s design language is evident in a screen-free dashboard that uses projection for display. The seats retain the SM’s horizontal cushion style, and laser-engraved door panels pay homage to French decorative arts. In the spirit of innovation that marked the original SM, DS’s interior designers have also incorporated modern materials and the latest in DS Automobiles' design signature details.
Frédéric Soubirou, DS Automobiles' Head of Exterior Design, describes the SM Tribute as embodying the "lightness" and "aerial" qualities that made the SM memorable on the road. Rather than a strict retro reproduction, it’s a visionary re-interpretation, linking DS Automobiles' past to its future while respecting the timeless elements of Citroën’s luxury and engineering excellence.
With a respectful nod to the SM's distinctive, hydropneumatic suspension and sporty Maserati V6 engines of its era, the DS SM Tribute positions itself as a luxurious, high-performance concept that stays true to the SM’s legacy, drawing collectors’ and enthusiasts' attention to a modern-day take on this legendary grand tourer.
