Hispano Suiza Carmen Sagrera: Invisible Tech, Pure Driving
As technology takes over more of our lives and our cars, most manufacturers race to add screens, apps and functions. Hispano Suiza takes a different path. The brand places technology at the driver's service rather than at centre stage, so the driver stays at the heart of the experience.
Hispano Suiza builds innovation that works quietly in the background. It shapes every movement, acceleration and corner into a more precise, intuitive and emotional drive. The brand designs this technology as a tool that deepens the connection between driver and vehicle.
The Hispano Suiza Carmen Sagrera captures this philosophy at its most advanced. As the third hypercar in the Carmen range, it embodies the marque's new era. This fully electric hypercar delivers 820 kW (1,115 hp) of power and 1,160 Nm of torque, and it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.6 seconds. The Carmen Sagrera reinterprets performance for today: extreme in capability, yet refined, progressive and deeply emotional in how it delivers that power.
Hispano Suiza develops and calibrates every electronic system to preserve a direct, authentic, and natural connection between the car and the driver. The driver assistance and dynamic control systems support the experience with precision and discretion rather than filtering it, and they respect the driver's judgement at all times.
Hispano Suiza Driver Dynamics (HSDD) brings this philosophy to life. This proprietary dynamic control system coordinates stability, torque management, power distribution and the Carmen Sagrera's driving modes. HSDD governs the software that manages the vehicle's dynamic behaviour, power delivery, traction, braking and active safety. Together, these systems analyse multiple parameters from the hypercar and its surroundings in real time to optimise the response in every situation.
The system brings together several functions: the Grip Enhancement System for traction control, Active Yaw Modulation for stability control, torque management, power distribution and the adaptation of the vehicle's response to the selected driving mode. The Electronic Torque Stabiliser adds another key feature. It manages energy regeneration and applies negative torque independently to the rear wheels to improve stability and extend range. A thermal management layer for the motors and battery complements this system, maximising and balancing performance throughout use.
HSDD's true value lies not only in its technical sophistication but in how it intervenes. Unlike other high-performance vehicles, where assistance systems can be more noticeable, Hispano Suiza calibrated its systems through simulations and intensive testing on both circuits and public roads. Test driver and former Formula 1 driver Luis Pérez-Sala led this process to preserve a generous margin of freedom and deliver a progressive, natural response.
The result gives drivers a purer experience: they feel the vehicle's character and capabilities without ever sensing that the electronics have taken control. As Juan Fernández, Chief Technical Officer at Hispano Suiza, explains: “At Hispano Suiza, we understand technology as a tool to intensify driving pleasure, not to replace it. The Hispano Suiza Driver Dynamics system coordinates every intervention so that it acts only when necessary, in a precise, natural way that is entirely consistent with the character of the vehicle.”
Hispano Suiza designed the Carmen Sagrera to deliver an even more intense and exciting drive. To achieve this, the technical team built a specific set-up that adapts the vehicle's response to different driving styles without compromising the marque's DNA of exclusivity, craftsmanship, innovation and emotion.
With a processing capacity exceeding 200 million instructions per second, the Carmen Sagrera's software analyses numerous essential parameters in real time, enabling HSDD to manage traction, stability and power delivery. These parameters include steering-wheel position and rotation speed, accelerator pedal input, wheel speed, brake pressure, chassis yaw angle, damper travel, acceleration across all three axes, battery charge, current and voltage, driving mode, ambient temperature and pressure, and altitude above sea level.
Using this data, the system modulates power delivery, adjusts traction-control intervention, manages energy regeneration and adapts the vehicle's dynamic behaviour to ensure precise and safe driving. The real skill, however, lies not simply in having this technology but in knowing when and how to use it. In the Carmen Sagrera, HSDD intervenes progressively and with meticulous calibration. The electronics protect, optimise and support, but they never impose themselves, so the driver retains a constant sense of control, confidence and connection with the vehicle. This defines the essence of Invisible Technology.
The Carmen Sagrera features an electronic architecture that collects and processes information from more than 100 sensors distributed throughout the vehicle. Through HSDD, the system transforms every piece of data into a more precise, natural and intuitive dynamic response. It converts analogue and digital signals, along with data transmitted via the CAN protocol from sensors across the chassis and power units, into values for pressure, temperature, position, flow, speed, acceleration, power and torque. This information continuously feeds Hispano Suiza's proprietary software, which executes the driver's commands safely and precisely.
Continuous monitoring of the hypercar's condition allows the systems to anticipate and adjust their response before any intervention becomes noticeable. The vehicle reacts with exceptional precision while always respecting the driver's intentions. This Invisible Technology turns an enormous volume of technical information into a fluid, emotional experience. Rather than placing a barrier between driver and car, it removes interference to strengthen that connection.
The Carmen Sagrera reinterprets the concept of the Gentleman Driver for a contemporary audience. Its technology strengthens the connection between the driver and the vehicle rather than filtering or distancing the experience. In an electric hypercar producing more than 1,100 hp, this philosophy demands an extraordinarily precise balance between power, control and sensitivity, and every HSDD calibration pursues that balance.
The immediate delivery of electric torque, effective traction management and the Carmen Sagrera's acceleration capability combine with a calibration that inspires confidence without diluting emotion. The technology stays invisible so that sensation can take centre stage, turning power into precision, control into confidence and every journey into a deeply sensory experience. At Hispano Suiza, technology does not replace the pleasure of driving. It amplifies it.
Hispano Suiza is a historic Spanish car brand owned by five generations of the Suqué Mateu family. Damián Mateu founded Hispano Suiza Fábrica de Automóviles S.A. in Barcelona in 1904 with the assistance of technical director and engineer Marc Birkigt, who also held a partnership in the company. Between 1904 and 1946, Hispano Suiza manufactured more than 12,000 high-performance luxury vehicles and 50,000 aircraft engines.
In 2019, the founder's great-grandson, Miguel Suqué Mateu, revived the brand, preserving its legacy while bringing fresh impetus and dynamism through a clear vision for its future and longevity. Sergio Martínez Campos, CEO of Hispano Suiza, continues to drive the brand's legacy and evolution alongside the management team.
In 2024, Hispano Suiza unveiled the Carmen Sagrera to celebrate its 120-year history, completing its range of electric hypercars alongside the Carmen (2019) and the Carmen Boulogne (2020). The Sagrera redefines the Gentleman Driver concept and sets the tone for the brand's future design direction. Hispano Suiza continues to offer exclusive, high-performance vehicles with endless customisation options for clients who seek excellence, through its hypercars and unique experiences.
