Hispano Suiza Carmen, the Spanish piece that dazzled at the Geneva Motor Show

The Catalan brand presents its new electric sports car, the Hispano Suiza Carmen, in a key location for its market niche

Despite the controversy that has been brewing since two companies claim to own the rights to Hispano Suiza Fábrica de Automóviles S.A., and both present new productions at the Geneva Motor Show, the manufacturer we are referring to is the one that, through real kinship, is linked to the early 20th-century Catalan brand as a direct descendant of its founder, and not “the other” Hispano-Suiza, the Hispano-Suiza Maguari HS1 GTC.

Hispano Suiza VS Hispano Suiza over the acquisition of Hispano Suiza Fábrica de Automóviles S.A

Be that as it may, Hispano Suiza presents its new sports car in Switzerland, the Hispano Suiza Carmen.

An electric car that is the result of combining the heritage of those Hispano-Suiza vehicles that came to light from the brand created by Damián Mateu and the Swiss engineer Marc Birkigt, but adapted to the technology that high-performance electric vehicles are capable of offering today.

An electric sports car that arrives thanks to the interest of the great-grandson of one of its founding partners, Miquel Suqué Mateu, chairman of the board of directors of Grupo Peralada, a consortium of companies linked to the food, hospitality, leisure and catering sectors.

A model that leaves no doubt about where its inspiration comes from. The Hispano Suiza Carmen is the heir, at least in its original design, to the Hispano-Suiza originating between 1904 and 1946.

In any case, this Hispano Suiza Carmen is the new model that Suqué Mateu, together with the technical support of QEV Technologies, a technology partner linked to the Mahindra Formula E team, has set out to offer. A model inspired by that Hispano Suiza Dubonnet Xenia and named after Damián Mateu’s granddaughter, Carmen.

The new Hispano Suiza Carmen will be a piece of automotive goldsmithing

Linguistic and legal complications aside, the Hispano Suiza Carmen will be a car handcrafted down to the smallest detail in the Barcelona area.

This two-seater electric sports car measures 4,733 mm long, 2,040 mm wide and just 1,242 mm high, with a wheelbase of 2,800 millimetres.

The Hispano Suiza Carmen has two 375 kW electric motors, which amount to a total output of 750 kW, equivalent to almost 1,020 CV, paired with an 80 kWh battery. The weight of the whole is set at 1,690 kg. With these specifications, the manufacturer estimates an acceleration of under 3 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h and a range of under 400 km on the NEDC homologation cycle.

It features rear-axle propulsion, where it sports 20-inch wheels measuring 305/30, versus 19-inch front wheels, and 265/30 at the rear, where a braking system with six-piston calipers and carbon-ceramic brakes signed by the prestigious manufacturer AP Racing will be found.

The driver assistance systems included range from essentials such as ABS or ESP to other technological solutions already common in newer-generation cars, such as Start-Stop, hill-start assist, remote opening, radars and rear cameras for parking assistance, a 10.1-inch infotainment display, wireless chargers and USB ports…

The price of exclusivity

A technological arsenal housed in a spectacular Hispano Suiza Carmen, whose production will begin this very year, 2019, and run until 2023. In total, 19 units will be assembled, and one of these pieces will be reserved for the Suqué Mateu family itself.

The price of each Hispano Suiza Carmen will start at 1.5 million euros, an amount that may rise depending on each customer’s requests and personalisation.

Safeguarding each of the Hispano Suiza Carmen

We are not referring to ballistic armouring but to economic protection that closes the door to speculators.

According to the Suqué Mateu family itself, all the Hispano Suiza Carmen units are already reserved, since they have received a total of at least 60 requests.

To ensure that each car ends up in the right garage, the family itself will select each of the future owners. In addition, they must sign a contract under which they may not sell the Hispano Suiza Carmen in their possession within a minimum period of three years from its delivery; afterwards, they must request the manufacturer’s consent in order to prevent this car from becoming an object of speculation.