All-electric Hispano Suiza Carmen debuts in Barcelona

The Hispano Suiza Carmen has made its global dynamic debut on the streets of Barcelona, its home city. Cruising the famous city streets and coastal roads, the fully-electric hyperlux grand tourer was piloted by a selection of drivers, including the brand's CEO Sergio Martinez Campos, and Lluc Martí, Technical Director of Carmen.

With less than a year until customer deliveries begin in June 2020, the Carmen’s debut saw it glide past a selection of Barcelona’s architectural and design landmarks including Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia, the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, and the modern and imposing Agbar Tower. The drive included an exclusive opportunity for customers to see and experience the car in motion as part of the tour that also took in some of Barcelona’s most exclusive hotels.

Since the global premiere of the Carmen at the Geneva Motor Show, the development team has worked on a comprehensive testing and refinement programme. The car now has an entirely new suspension system, alongside a series of weight-reduction and rigidity enhancements. The chassis development also includes crash structure optimisation with extensive use of carbon fibre enhancing performance, while shedding weight.

Miguel Suqué Mateu, Hispano Suiza president, said: “We are extremely proud of our long heritage, which dates back to our beginnings on the streets of Barcelona in 1904. This legacy and the style icons of our home city made it easy to decide where the Carmen should make its global dynamic debut.”

The next stage of the Carmen’s journey intensifies vehicle speed and dynamism to realise the car’s full – 1,019 PS – potential. The hyperlux grand tourer will first conduct a series of on-road tests in the north of Catalonia, before moving to the world-famous Ascari racing circuit for high-speed testing and handling development.

Barcelona and Hispano Suiza
Hispano Suiza’s headquarters, technical centre, and manufacturing facility are all in Barcelona – a city intertwined with the brand’s Spanish spirit and strong family legacy. Owned by the fourth generation of the Suqué Mateu family, Hispano Suiza built more than 12,000 luxury performance cars and 50,000 aeroplane engines between 1904 and 1946.

Today, the Carmen hyperlux grand tourer is designed, developed and manufactured in Barcelona. The handcrafted Carmen is based on a super-stiff, hand-laid carbon fibre monocoque, which provides the foundation for the car’s exceptional luxury, comfort, and attention to detail.

Development and build of the Carmen and its custom-designed electric powertrain is led by the company’s production partner, QEV Technologies. Also based in Barcelona, the team of highly-skilled engineers at QEV Technologies boasts experience across design, engineering, R&D and production for Formula E teams, supercar brands and mainstream car manufacturers.

QEV Technologies has its foundations in motorsport with Campos Racing and is also the technology arm of Mahindra Formula-E Racing, plus the European R&D facility for Chinese firm BAIC.