Hispano Suiza Cars has detailed the Carmen, ahead of
its debut in Geneva. The
Carmen is an electric grand tourer that combines “hypercar performance with
exquisite luxury, painstaking craftsmanship and meticulous attention” to
detail.
The company says the model is heavily influenced by the 1938 Hispano Suiza H6C
Dubonnet Xenia which was commissioned by World War One fighter pilot André
Dubonnet. Given his background in aviation, Dubonnet was interested in
aerodynamics and this played in an important role in the styling of his car.
The same inspiration can be seen in the Carmen as
Hispano Suiza says the vehicle will have an “aerodynamic teardrop profile” that
has been modernized for the 2020’s. While only one new picture was released,
the automaker said the Carmen will also have a trapezoidal chrome grille,
circular headlights and a “floating” front splitter. We can also expect a drag
coefficient of 0.325.
Once the scissor doors are opened, drivers will find
an upscale interior the pays tribute to classic Hispano Suiza models. The
company says old school touches include an analogue clock, wood veneers and
toggle switchgear. There will also be machined aluminum and a triangular gear
selector that references the “art deco steel triangle” used on a number of
classic models.
The interior isn’t all retro as there will be two
carbon composite seats which are covered in leather and Alcantara upholstery.
Other modern touches including LED ambient lighting, a wireless smartphone
charger and a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple
CarPlay.
The Carmen has two electric motors and each one
powers a rear wheel. This setup gives the model a combined output of 1,005 hp. This should enable the car to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in less than three seconds before hitting a limited top speed of 250 km/h.
Electricity comes from an 80 kWh battery pack but,
by the time production commences, the car could offer a capacity of up to 105
kWh. This could enable the model to travel more than 400 km on a
single charge. Despite being an electric vehicle, the Carmen is pretty light as it
uses a carbon fiber monocoque chassis that only weighs 195 kg. This
helps the car to tip the scales at 1,690 kg.
Production will be apparently be limited to 19 units
and pricing starts at US$ 1.7 million. The company is currently
accepting orders the first deliveries are slated to begin in June of 2020.
