BARCELONA, March 5 — Following on from last year's unveiling of the Carmen, the recently revived Hispano-Suiza brand has presented the Carmen Boulogne, an even more powerful of its electric supercar. The new automobile was due to make its grand debut at the Geneva Motor Show, which was cancelled due to the coronavirus epidemic.

The most significant change is in the engine, which now has a power output of 820 kW, equivalent to 1,114 hp, as opposed to 750 kW for the original Carmen. The Carmen Boulogne is also lighter by 60 kg, an improvement that is mainly due to a monocoque chassis that is entirely made of carbon fibre.

The result of all these advances is increased performance, with acceleration from 0 to 100 kph pared back to just 2.6 seconds and a top speed of 290 kph.

The manufacturer has announced a range of a little over 400 km, with a battery that can be 80 per cent recharged in only 30 minutes if a rapid charger is used, or in a few hours when plugged in to a standard power outlet.

Only five copies of the new supercar, which will retail for €1.65 million (RM7.73 million) excluding taxes, are to be built, with the first deliveries set to debut in 2022.

The "Boulogne” name is a reference to the Coupe George Boillot race in Boulogne-sur-Mer, which was one by Hispano Suiza three years in a row, from 1921 to 1923.

Founded in 1904, Hispano Suiza made cars until the late 1940s, before specialising in aircraft engines and components and subsequently merging with Snecma, which is now known as the Safran Group.

A few years ago, the great-grandson of the brand's founder created a new company, Hispano Suiza Cars, which is the producer of the Carmen and the Carmen Boulogne. — AFP-Relaxnews