Skip to footer

BMW, Rolls Royce celebrate 100 years with Vision Next 100 concepts

BMW isn’t celebrating its centennial alone. The German automaker’s subsidiaries Mini and Rolls-Royce have Vision Next 100 concepts of their own.

|
Andy Wong/AP/File
Visitors look at a BMW concept car model on display at the BMW Vision Next 100 exhibition at 798 Art District in Beijing.
  • By Viknesh Vijayenthiran MotorAuthority

BMW turned 100 this year and as part of the celebrations unveiled a forward-looking concept aptly named the Vision Next 100.

But BMW isn’t celebrating alone as the German automaker’s subsidiaries Mini and Rolls-Royce have Vision Next 100 concepts of their own.

Code-named the 103EX, Rolls-Royce’s Vision Next 100 concept is a stately coupe that blends old with the—very—new. The vehicle is unlike any Rolls-Royce ever conceived yet instantly recognizable as one of the automaker’s creations.

It was designed under four main tenets Rolls-Royce sees as being inextricably linked with automotive luxury, tenets that are true now and will be so well into the future, according to the automaker. They are a personal experience, effortless travel, a relaxing sanctuary and a grand arrival.

This is all encompassed in the design which consists of a lightweight composite structure powered by an electric drivetrain and controlled with autonomous technology. There’s no steering wheel here, just a large screen to entertain occupants on their journey.

The structure is also highly flexible so that customers will be able to choose the design of their cars, just like the coachbuilding tradition that Rolls-Royce embodied in its early years. Other technologies include a virtual personal assistant that gets to knowthe vehicle owner so that it can make hotel or restaurant suggestions as well as organize a trip or schedule.

Inside is a lounge-like environment where the vehicle owner can be cocooned from the outside world. In addition to the large screen, which is described as a transparent OLED display, there are traditional materials such as Macassar wood and soft silk upholstery.

Finally, it’s time for the grand arrival, which is made possible by the car’s imposing proportions—it stretches more than 19 feet in length—and impressive door mechanism. The roof lifts away, while the door opens rearward just like on Rolls-Royce’s current models.

Now that you’ve learned all about the Rolls-Royce Vision Next 100 concept, get a taste of what it’s like to ride inside thanks to a 360-degree video.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.
editor@csmonitor.com
Subscribe
Mark Sappenfield
Editor

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

Subscribe to insightful journalism

QR Code to BMW, Rolls Royce celebrate 100 years with Vision Next 100 concepts
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2016/0617/BMW-Rolls-Royce-celebrate-100-years-with-Vision-Next-100-concepts
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe