As part of BMW’s 100th birthday celebration, the German luxury automaker has been unveiling a series of Rolls-Royce futuristic concept cars it calls its “Vision Next 100 Cars” cars. Two of those cars, a Rolls-Royce and a Mini, were unveiled in London this month. The Rolls-Royce Vision Next has its own “autopilot system”, and it would be propelled by a “zero-emissions powertrain”. The exterior of this car speaks for itself! As dramatic and spectacular as it is, though, we do have to note a measure of disappointment with the haughty way in which Rolls-Royce speaks of it. The luggage compartment was introduced as helpfully positioned for servants and helpers to access because obviously, a Rolls-Royce owner would never even think of touching his or her own bags. Moreover, the whole concept of a “grand arrival” with the Vision 100 — which, to be fair, is a consistent theme with Rolls-Royce — basically marks this as a vehicle to communicate conspicuous wealth. Code-named “103EX” while under development by the director of design Giles Taylor and his team, the visionary vehicle was built off their four pillars of Personal Vision, Effortless Journey, Grand Sanctuary, and Grand Arrival. The first tenet comes from the fact that the car containsEleanor, a computer-generated virtual assistant who appears in a transparent display. She’s a lifelike embodiment of the famous Spirit of Ecstasy statuette that rides atop the grill of every Rolls-Royce and which was modeled after the Edwardian-era actress and model Eleanor Thornton.
As the car’s artificial-intelligence platform, Eleanor will provide the next generation of connectivity—not only being able to call for the car to pick a person up but actually handling the driving while getting to the destination in the most efficient way possible. The program will also manage an individual’s schedule, making suggestions on route selection, based on time and traffic, and adjusting accordingly. The otherworldly ride rolls on 28-inch covered wheels (crafted from 65 handmade pieces of aluminum) that are complemented by state-of-the-art suspension for an effortless journey. The 103EX is intended to represent just one among limitless possibilities the future individual of ample means could choose. Thanks to what are expected to be extraordinarily flexible manufacturing technologies in the future, Rolls-Royce designers of the future will be able to work with clients to create virtually any shape, size, or style of car imaginable. Buyers will no longer have to have to choose a Phantom, Wraith, or Dawn. They can create their own Rolls-Royce and call it, one presumes, anything they wish.
