Rolls-Royce patrons rarely touch any suitcase.
“We researched that at the Dorchester Hotel,” says Giles Taylor, design director at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. He speaks the Queen’s English impeccably.
“We approached the front-of-house at the Dorchester, who informed us about the particular habits of their super-wealthy clientele,” Taylor says. “What we’re finding now is that they don’t want anybody to unpack their luggage at all. The luggage of the future will be this opening wardrobe, rather like Louis Vuitton are offering.”
He is here to unveil the 103EX concept, Rolls-Royce’s vision for “the future of luxury personal mobility.” Borrowing the tone of Maoist manifesto, the 103EX news release states, “Rolls-Royce rejects the notion of anonymous, utilitarian and bland future modes of mobility.”
As BMW celebrates its 100th birthday, its divisions are looking to the next 100 years. For Rolls-Royce, that presents a unique challenge. If we move around future cities in robot-driven shareable pods – which seems to be the dominant vision from tech giants Apple and Google – where does a luxury car company fit in? The question applies not just to Rolls-Royce but to the whole upper echelon of the car world.
The 103EX is six metres long and 1.6 metres tall. It’s as large as the current long-wheelbase Phantom, but only seats two on a single silk sofa. The car’s smooth fuselage floats above the road, suspended like the hull of a catamaran from four gigantic wheels.
The drivetrain is battery-electricity or hydrogen fuel cell, and there’s no need for a chauffeur because the 103EX is fully autonomous. According to Rolls-Royce, “the V-12 combustion engine is most unlikely to exist in the future.”
“One thing definitely clear is that our patrons of luxury are not interested to drive around in these bubbles or whatever. They want a sort of private transportation that also sets them apart from what the rest of the world will drive,” says Torsten Muller-Otvos, CEO of Rolls-Royce.
Taylor imagined superluxury cars of the 21st century will be coach-built as they were in the first half of the last century. Rolls-Royce will build the platform and drivetrain, and customers will commission custom bodywork: coupe, roadster, limousine, SUV, tank, whatever you desire. Only this time there won’t be workshops full of craftspeople beating aluminum panels into shape, but machines 3-D-printing them.
The flying lady on the hood, the Spirit of Ecstasy, will come alive as Eleanor, an artificial intelligence named for Eleanor Thornton, the model who inspired the Spirit in 1911. If your tie is crooked, she will gently tell you. “We watched the Scarlett Johansson movie [Her],” says Taylor. “There’s a point at which AI can get a little bit too …” His voice trails off. Creepy, I think. Think of Eleanor as Posh Spice to Siri’s Sporty. As for luggage, the 103EX has that handled, of course. The luggage compartment opens and extends outward at the perfect height for the bellhop to take the cases without scuffing the car’s paint. The roof opens and the door swings back allowing owners to step out without having to stoop. “Grand Arrival,” Rolls-Royce calls it.
How soon before we see the 103EX glide down a street in Rosedale or the Upper East Side or Notting Hill? The year 2030 is a good guess.
Can’t wait to meet you, Eleanor.
The writer was a guest of the auto maker. Content was not subject to approval.
