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Upcoming Rolls-Royce Ghost wears evolutionary design in spy photos

The wow factor of a Rolls-Royce does not come from wild, outlandish design. Its cars and SUV are stately, mature, handsome and do not change looks with a shift of the wind like many vehicles in the auto industry. Those who know model cycles know that Rolls-Royce follows a slightly longer timeline than most, and for the current Ghost, its time is nearly up. These spy shots give us an early glimpse of what the updated model will look like. Even with a ton of camo on the car, the photos confirm what we already know about Rolls-Royce: It's a company that does not stray from what its designers deem to be a classic look. The new Phantom looks like the old Phantom, the Wraith looks like the Ghost, and the Cullinan looks like the Phantom. And thus, the new Ghost is pretty much going to look like the current Ghost, just with a few modernizations that will help the model age as well as Pierce Brosnan. What the spy shots show is evolutionary. It retains its traditional three-box sedan design, if slightly smoothed over. It retains the long hood with the blunt snout and vertical bar grille, it has a high belt line that extends the length of the car, the same coach door handles, and even the exact same wheels (though that is typical of a test car). The changes we notice are minor. The car will likely have updated front and rear lighting, the side mirrors appear to have slightly more aerodynamic designs with cameras embedded, and the small third window appears to have a slight change in shape. Following in the footsteps of the Phantom, the new Ghost will likely ride on Rolls-Royce's new Architecture of Luxury platform for an improved ride and drive. We expect the Ghost will take on the Phantom's new 6.75-liter twin-turbocharged V12 powertrain, and it's possible it could also gain four-wheel steering technology. There are rumors about Rolls-Royce producing an EV in the future, but there's no indication which vehicle it would be, or if that's real at all. Check back in the future, as we'll update details on the upcoming Ghost as we see more photos and learn more information. Related Video:

BMW profit of $2.7B is down as automaker invests to keep luxury lead

Despite selling 6.6-percent more vehicles - a record by volume - and posting higher revenues in the second quarter of 2013, BMW Group's profit of 2.07 million euros ($2.75 billion) is down 8.8 percent from last year. Investments in new technology (e.g. the new i3) and personnel, in addition to a competitive market, are to blame, BMW states. But the automaker remains committed to its fiscal targets for 2013, which, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Norbert Reithofer, says will be "on a similar scale to 2012."
The BMW brand's sales performance in the first half of the year, which increased by 7.7 percent to 804,258 vehicles delivered, was good enough for it to maintain its lead in the luxury market, narrowly beating Audi, which delivered 780,510 vehicles, Automotive News reports. Mercedes-Benz delivered 694,433 vehicles to cement third place.

Rolls-Royce looks to the heavens with diamond-encrusted Celestial Phantom

The Middle East is a vital market for Rolls-Royce, particularly in the Gulf emirates. So the British automaker wouldn't let the region's premier auto show go by unnoticed, and to that end has rolled into the Dubai Motor Show with an array of special editions.
Chief among them is the Celestial edition Phantom, a customized limousine that initially debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show but has returned to Dubai with the addition of 446 diamonds hand-set into the door panels, center console and cabin privacy partition. Taking the spirit of the Phantom's trademark starlight headliner even further, the Celestial edition reproduces overhead the constellations exactly as they were on the evening of January 1, 2003, when Rolls-Royce delivered the first Phantom to its owner, as verified by the South Downs Planetarium in Chichester, England.
The Bespoke division also fitted the Celestial Phantom with inky blue leather, special glassware and a custom picnic set. The wheel hubs are also engraved and the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament uplit, demonstrating just a few of the possibilities awaiting those with the means not only to buy a new Rolls-Royce, but also commission special features from the Bespoke department.