Listen, anyone expecting a Rolls-Royce vehicle that isn’t insanely luxurious and likely very, very expensive is living in a dream world. So we’re not shocked whatsoever to learn that BMW’s plan for a driverless, electric Rolls Royce includes such niceties as a silk love seat, light-up red carpet, and a virtual assistant owners will probably end up falling in love with a la Her.
The 103EX is a fully autonomous electric vehicle, unveiled by Rolls-Royce as part of its 100-year anniversary celebration, and is “is but one example of a number of possible personal visions,” the company said in a lengthy, somewhat overly-wrought description of the concept car.
Though there’s no price tag on it yet, we’d have to imagine the 103EX will cost a pretty penny. Along with that couch made with “expanses of bespoke, rare materials” like silk, the entire roof canopy “opens up to an inner sanctum, before effortlessly enveloping you,” the company says.
“The skylight is your panoramic observatory, inspiring awe and wonder,” the description reads. “The only sound is the hushed beat of your own heart.”
Sorry, I just fell asleep there for a second.
It’s also not really a car, Rolls-Royce explains, but will be designed “more like an individual sculpture made from one seamless surface.”
“Rolls-Royce will design and manufacture this personal vision of each customer and make every Rolls-Royce a unique bespoke masterpiece,” the company said.
There’s also that light-up red carpet, so you can show everyone else that you’re arriving, if they hadn’t noticed already.
Also included in the 103EX is a personal digital assistant named Eleanor, the “voice” of the Spirit of Ecstasy, the symbol on the front every Rolls. She sounds like she’s right up Joaquin Phoenix’s alley:
“It’s no secret that the future belongs to self-aware, autonomous vehicles,” the company’s description reads. “But for the first time, Rolls-Royce will give artificial intelligence a name, a soul and a purpose. Her name is Eleanor.
She’s not just going to tell you to turn left or right, no! Eleanor is so much more complicated than that.
“Her vital spark lives within the very fabric of your vehicle: driving you, guiding you, discovering the world with you. Eleanor intuitively complements your personality, becoming a true companion.”
Check out the company’s 360-degree video for more Eleanor:
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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