Rolls-Royce has unveiled its first and only driverless vehicle. The company claim the owner of the car will be
“encircled by the most modern handcrafted fine-line Macassar wood panelling”
as they stare at a “generous” high-definition television screen.
Rolls-Royce said the zero-emission model, codenamed 103EX, showed the company
“rejects the notion of anonymous, utilitarian and bland future modes of mobility”.
Their comfort will be guaranteed not by an ordinary car seat, but by a
“beautifully textured, ivory-coloured luxurious throne upon which our passengers are conveyed, and from which they command”.
Their feet will be cushioned by
“the finest one-off deep-pile ivory wool carpet”,
while those worried about leg room will be satisfied with the extra space afforded by
“the removal of the chauffeur”.
Instead of a driver, passengers can give orders to a virtual assistant named Eleanor after the actor Eleanor Thornton, who is rumoured to have inspired the car’s Spirit of Ecstasy bonnet ornament.
Eleanor will act as an attendant “imbued with her own artificial intelligence” and capable of reminding the owner about meetings and even bringing the car to the front of their house at the start of a journey.
Rolls-Royce, owned by BMW, said the car proved that
“certain truths are constant over time”
, like the notion that
“the powerful have always understood the symbols through which they express their standing”.
The carmaker explained,
“The very size of the Rolls-Royce Vision Next 100 announces the importance of its precious cargo,”
pointing to its vast dimensions 5.9 metres long and 1.6 metres high.
The glass roof is a
“canopy over the occupants that provides privacy while allowing them to contemplate the majesty of the stars in the firmament above as they glide through the night”.
The space usually used for the Rolls’ 12-cylinder engine will be used for a luggage compartment that opens automatically on arrival to present two personalised Grand Tourer cases.
And if the magnificence of the journey inside a vehicle that gives “the impression of a futuristic catamaran” was not enough, the car has something special in store on arrival at the passengers’ destination.
The company said,
“As the Rolls-Royce Vision Next 100 gracefully comes to a halt, something magnificent occurs.”
The glass roof rises to allow the occupant to stand, while a step emerges from below the running board and a red light is projected, “carpet-like” to announce their arrival.
The company added,
“Thus, as in Botticelli’s ‘Birth of Venus’, our guest is framed and ready to step gracefully into the limelight and greet their audience … This is automotive haute couture.”
Among the display accompanying its unveiling, Rolls-Royce did not say how the vehicle, due to hit the streets in the 2040s, how it would be powered or how it would cope with speed bumps.
And despite the grand language, the concept car had mixed response, with technology website Slash Gear describing the vehicle as “sublimely crazy”.
www.channelstv.com