Category: Rolls Royce

Rolls Royce has unveiled the first sketches of the forthcoming baby saloon due to be launched in 2010.

Dubbed RR4, the future saloon will help the company to almost double its sales in the future. In addition to 1,100 units sold last year, the British marque plans to sell 800 baby Rolls annually. The RR4 is a baby Rolls only in name as the luxury saloon will be longer than a BMW 7-Series.

Like the current models, this future “top-seller” will feature a unique platform and a new engine. It will enable the company to promote it unique character at a time when the future Bentley models will share their inner-structure with the Audi A8. However, the RR4 will still share components with the next-generation 7-Series to cut cost. Everything invisible will be shared, while all visual components will be unique to the RR4.

The RR4 will be like going mainstream for Rolls Royce. The carmaker plans to reshuffle the Goodwood facilities to accommodate the RR4, with extended paint, wood and leather shops as well as a second assembly line. The company will move to a two shift system next year as it gears up for full production of the new model.

The RR4 is expected to cost between £125,000 and £150,000

The baby Rolls has been spotted during testing and reveals  a bit more about the future luxury model.

Due to be unveiled next year, the future entry-level Rolls Royce is currently in development. Despite initial beliefs, the future model won’t share its inner structure with the next-generation long-wheelbase 7-Series, but will offer similar dimensions. Except the engine which will be a BMW unit like the Phantom, electronic architecture and components will be shared with the future BMW’s flagship.

The spotted model gives some clues about the direction taken by designers. The baby Rolls will be a small Phantom, featuring the corporate’s long nose and and short rear bootlid. Like the Phantom,  the small Rolls Royce will come with narrow suicide rear doors and wide C-pillar to protect passengers’ intimacy.

The future Rolls Royce is expected to cost between £125,000 and £150,000.

Rolls-Royce has announced that Tom Purves will join the company as its new CEO leaving its position of Chairman and CEO of BMW US.

This is a come back for Tom Purves as the newly appointed CEO started his career as an apprentice engineer at Crewe in 1967. His role with the company evolved to include several management positions in various fields including sales in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Purves joined BMW as sales director in 1985 in Great Britain and was appointed Managing Director in 1989. During his tenure, the company became the second largest BMW export market after the USA. In 1996 he became a Rover Board member, where he oversaw the global sales and marketing of Land Rover, MINI, MG and Rover before his move to North America in 1999. Purves was responsible for the successful launch of Mini in North America.

“It has been a pleasure to see Rolls-Royce flourish under the ownership of BMW Group,” Purves commented. “I am delighted to be taking the helm at Goodwood as the company continues to develop with the upcoming launch of the Phantom Coupé and, most significantly, the introduction of RR4 in 2010. I have always felt a special connection with Rolls-Royce, having started my career in the car division.”

As planned, Ian Robertson will join the BMW AG Board of Management but remains Chairman of Rolls-Royce.

Rolls Royce has announced it will reveal the new Phantom Coupe at the Geneva Motor Show.

The new Phantom Coupe will reinforce the lineup along the Phantom limousine and the Phantom Drophead Coupe. Like the latter, the new Coupe is gigantic but still beautifully proportioned. It also features the famous rear-hinged front coach-doors which ease access for the passengers and improves the character of the car.

The new Phantom Coupe is powered by the company’s 6.75-litre V12 which has an power output of 453bhp and at torque of 531 lb ft. The carmaker claims the engine is more efficient and added to an increased fuel capacity, the range will allow the lucky owner to go everywhere he wants.

Despite a 5,710 lb weight, the Phantom Coupe can run the 0-62mph in 5.8 seconds and reach the limited top speed of 155mph.

Click here to see all the pictures

EDAG doesn’t expect to be famous for its design skills but for its expertise in technical feats. When applying this philosophy to the Rolls Royce Phantom, EDAG doesn’t change the styling but features an articulated roof that allows graceful, upright entry into the Phantom’s recessed rear seat.

The articulated panel required some work as it cuts the top of the car in half. EDAG reinforced the structure while keeping the weight down by using carbon fiber for the panel.

Inside there is a bespoke interior and EDAG added the latest technologies available such as mobile internet access, email and text messaging and a built-in PC. Moreover aware of the obsolescense of such technologies, EDAG allows to integrate third-party devices at any time.

Rolls Royce officials have gave some details to Inside Line about the future baby Rolls. The car will be a bit less expensive than originally thought.

Indeed, it was initially reported that the RR4 would be sold at a price tag between £160,000 to £180,000, but the latest information suggest the car will be cheaper and will cost between £120,000 and £140,000. In other words, Rolls Royce plans to take on Bentley. The RR4 will likely compete with the Bentley Continental Flying Spur.

Inside Line also reports that the future small Rolls won’t share its engine with the Phantom or the BMW 7-Series, although it has been confirmed that the car will host a lot of BMW components, including suspension. However, it hasn’t been confirmed whether the RR4 will share its inner structure with the next-generation 7-Series which will go on sale next year.

Rolls Royce has launched a limited edition of Phantom model dubbed the ‘Tungsten’, which includes styling features form the 101 EX concept car. On the outside the car differs from the normal version by adopting the ‘Xirallic’ Darkest Tungsten paint finish, the brushed aluminium bonnet and a new seven-spoke 21”, forged aluminium wheels. Also at the rear end, the Tungsten edition features a pair of chrome-plated exhaust pipes.

Inside, the top of the dashboard and the wheel receive micro-engraved metal trimmings while the rest has been trimmed with East Indian Rosewood veneers panels. The interior upholstery mixes Smoke Grey leather for the seats contrasting with the Navy Blue on the armrests and the dashboard. More spectacular is the rear ceiling which tries to recreate a star-filled night sky thanks to 800 fibre-optic lights. Finally, the ultimate in luxury is reached with a solid silver key and a Conway Stewart fountain pen arranged in a Rosewood-veneered presentation box

The exact number of units to be produced is unknown, but six of them are heading to the Middle East.

Source: Rolls-Royce and AME Info