Concept vehicles are meant to push the edges of what is possible, but the Rolls Royce Vision Next 100 (codenamed 103EX) has taken that idea to a level that most other brands could only hope to achieve. Revealed earlier today at the London Roundhouse, Rolls Royce's first-ever pure concept in its 105-year history is really a totally autonomous vehicle that for all intents and purposes is really a rolling luxury living space.
The Rolls Royce Vision Next 100 will be the company's first idea vehicle The Vision Subsequent one hundred is powered by two 250 watt engines which allowed the designers to ... The physique of the Vision Subsequent one hundred features an all glass clamshell top With out a combustion engine, the engine compartment now becomes an automated luxury compartment
Paying homage towards the company's heritage of making luxurious and handcrafted automobiles, Rolls Royce describes the Vision Next one hundred as greater than a means of transport; it's each a sanctuary along with a statement.
Let's start using the reality that the Vision Next one hundred is developed with out the need to get a driver. There's no steering wheel, dashboard or anything resembling a way for a passenger to take control if essential. Clearly, Rolls Royce is envisioning a globe in which autonomous automobiles would be the norm.
The seating arrangement is a silk-covered sofa ensconced in Macassar wood paneling and trim, and deep-pile wool carpet with room for two, possibly three adults. An OLED screen gives you information about your trip, location and much more than most likely the individuals you'll meet whenever you arrive. Heading on a longer trip or bored with what's going on outside? Watch a film.
Rolls Royce has carried out away with the behemoth V-12s that energy today's models. Rather, two 250 kW electric motors, one mounted inboard in between the two front wheels and the other inboard between the rear wheels, quietly propel the Vision Next 100 and its passengers.
Contemplating the vehicle comes in at 5.9 meters (19.four ft) in length and 1.six meters (five.two ft) higher, it might require each watt those two motors can produce.
Resembling a catamaran on wheels, the Vision Subsequent one hundred physique is a mixture of metals and an all-dark glass top. The 28-inch wheels are hand-made from 65 individual pieces of aluminum.
Hearkening back to a time when passengers of horseless carriages were able to enter and exit without having to stoop to avoid hitting their head, the Vision Subsequent one hundred incorporates a clamshell-style hinged roof that automatically rises in the left to permit passengers to exit fully upright. A footstep deploys in the side from the car along with a red light illuminates the way.
There's extremely small on this idea that isn't automated, and much of it is controlled by the Rolls Royce version of Siri called Eleanor, a nod to Eleanor Thornton who was the inspiration for the Spirit of Ecstasy figure that adorns the hood of every Rolls Royce.
On command, Eleanor would be able to provide the Vision Next one hundred to your door, plot your course, and ensure the vehicle arrives in the correct destination.
BMW has clearly produced good on its efforts to continue positioning Rolls Royce as an exclusive premier luxury brand following a back and forth with Volkswagen within the late '90s and early 2000s over who owned what components from the marque. Because gaining full control more than the brand, BMW has silenced most skeptics with the Rolls Royce Phantom, Ghost, Wraith and also the lately introduced Dawn.
The future in which a vehicle even vaguely resembling the Vision Next 100 could be viable may be some years away, but as with any concept, it will be fascinating to determine which components of this 1 end up inside a Rolls Royce - sooner or later.