Rolls-Royce 103EX: Is this the future of luxury cars?

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Rolls-Royce has unveiled a radical, driverless concept vehicle previewing what the ultimate luxury car may look like in the future.

The 103EX Vision Next 100 Concept is a celebration of BMW's centenary – Rolls-Royce is owned by the German carmaker. Auto Express says that despite the radical body, it is "clearly recognisable as a Rolls", although the curving, hunched roofline and tight, pinched rear end are "probably the sportiest thing seen on a car carrying the Rolls-Royce badge in living memory".

The car's huge 28ins wheels are enclosed within its boxy bodywork, with large boot spaces sat behind them. A glass canopy opens up in tandem with a "suicide"-style door to grant access to the cabin. At the front is the unmistakably vertical profile used on recent cars such as the Phantom.

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It's almost 20ft long, but seats just two people in a large, spacious, luxury-laden lounge with a silk love seat surrounded by Macassar wood-panelling. There are no steering wheel or controls – the entire cabin is dedicated to comfort and luxury.

The glass birdcage gives a huge panoramic view overhead while a large OLED display sits on the opposite side of the passenger cell to the seats. Its home to a virtual assistant, a digitalised Spirit of Ecstasy, which acts as a centralised hub for information and to control some of the car's systems.

Lastly, exterior touches include Crystal Water paintwork and lighting that projects from underneath the door, creating a virtual red carpet for its occupants to walk on.

The driverless Rolls makes use of electric power, but being a hyper-futuristic concept, there are no specific details on just how the electric powertrain works. The electric motors are housed within the wheel hubs or underneath the floor to optimise cabin space as well as make room for the huge trunks sat behind the front wheels, notes the Daily Telegraph.

SlashGear calls the 103EX "astonishing" and "sublimely crazy", while Top Gear says it suits Rolls's history perfectly – the silent, smooth electric powertrain emulates what the company has striven for with its engines in the past. "Rolls owners were among the first to have self-driving cars – the autonomous system being the chauffer," it adds.

The car is the brainchild of Giles Taylor, Rolls-Royce's director of design, who said it is "an expression of our intrinsic understanding of the possibilities for a true luxury brand and the desires of its customers", reports The Guardian.