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Rolls-Royce names new chief executive for North America

Rolls-Royce has announced a changing of the guard in its North American office. Stepping out of his role as North American regional president is Eric Shepherd (pictured). In his place, the uber-luxe British automaker is bringing in Pedro Mota, who comes by way of Porsche Cars North America, where he served as the west coast regional vice president. Mota holds an MBA from European business school INSEAD, and a Master's in electrical engineering from Lisbon Technical University. He'll join Rolls-Royce with almost immediate effect on October 1 to learn the ropes before taking over on January 1, 2016 - the day after Shepherd vacates the office. The company was rather unspecific in disclosing what Shepherd will be doing next, saying only that he'll be staying "within the Rolls-Royce family" in a "new entrepreneurial role in the super-luxury automotive retail sector." The shift in leadership in the North American office at Rolls-Royce comes as the automaker prepares to role out new models. It's now in the process of adding the new Dawn convertible to the Ghost/Wraith family. It's also preparing to launch its first SUV, known internally as project Cullinan, into a burgeoning new market segment for ultra-luxurious crossovers. It's an area with which Mota, having helped move so many Cayennes and helped introduce the new Macan through West Coast dealers, ought to be intimately familiar. Related Video: LEADERSHIP TRANSITION AT ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS NORTH AMERICA Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has announced that President (North America), Eric Shepherd, has decided to move to a new entrepreneurial role in the super-luxury automotive retail sector within the Rolls-Royce family. Chief Executive, Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes, said, "Eric's move is a big loss to our successful business at Rolls-Royce North America but we are highly supportive of talented managers like Eric pursuing personal business opportunities, particularly when it means they stay within the Rolls-Royce community. Eric's dynamic leadership of our North American operation has been highly effective. He has established a strong team and cohesive network which has led to a substantial strengthening of our business in the region." Shepherd will continue in office as President of Rolls-Royce NA until 31 December 2015. He will be succeeded by Pedro Mota who will join Rolls-Royce NA from Porsche Cars NA where he served as Vice President, Area West.

Ghost Coupe to be fastest Rolls-Royce ever

Autocar has snapped spy shots of a Rolls-Royce Ghost Coupe, and judging from proportions the car will be so long in front and raked in back that it would make Dick Tracy whistle. We'll get the true story on that at next year's Geneva Motor Show, which is when Autocar says it's due to be revealed, but what's less in question is this: with a 6.6-liter, 600-horsepower V12 and a tauter ride it will be the fastest Rolls-Royce ever.
Weight is estimated to drop by 200 kg compared to its sedan sibling, and its roofline to drop by up to nearly three inches. If the horsepower numbers are correct the shorter and lighter Ghost coupe, with a 69-hp bump over the sedan, will assuredly deliver the "considerably brisker" acceleration promised. Helping matters will be the lowered chassis, larger tires, "mildly sports-orientated" brakes and a suspension tuned to be more aggressive but delivering just as much waftability.
Although it's being called the Ghost Coupe for now, insiders have suggested to the magazine that that it will get its own, bespoke, name, with pricing above the standard sedan but below the extended-wheelbase sedan.

Rolls-Royce announces one Ghost of a recall

Recalls come in all sizes, some numbering in the hundreds and some in the millions. Given the small volume that Rolls-Royce sells, we wouldn't expect a recall of any of its vehicles to be all that large in scope. But this one is as small as it gets. In the latest campaign announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the BMW Group (owner of Rolls) is calling in one – yes, just one – example of the Rolls-Royce Ghost. It's a 2015 model manufactured on Jan. 23, 2014, and includes some potentially problematic airbags. According to the statement below, the thorax airbags in both the front seats may not be up to code, and therefor do not protect the occupants as they're supposed to. As a result, the automaker is prompting the local dealer to replace the relevant modules on both the driver's and passenger's side. Given that it's just one vehicle, and that the 'effort' already began a couple of weeks ago, we wouldn't expect this one to drag on for very long. RECALL Subject : Side Impact Crash Worthiness/FMVSS 214 Report Receipt Date: OCT 23, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V695000 Component(s): AIR BAGS Potential Number of Units Affected: 1 Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC SUMMARY: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling one model year 2015 Rolls-Royce Ghost manufactured on January 23, 2014. The affected vehicle has thorax air bags fitted to both front seats that may fail to meet the side impact performance requirements for the front seat occupants. As such, this vehicle may fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 214, "Side Impact Protection." CONSEQUENCE: In the event of a vehicle crash necessitating air bag deployment, this may increase the risk of injury to the front seat passengers. REMEDY: A Rolls-Royce dealer will replace the driver-side and passenger-side thorax air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began October 22, 2015. Owners may contact Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. NOTES: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2015 Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II: First Drive View 43 Photos News Source: National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationImage Credit: Copyright 2015 AOL Recalls Rolls-Royce Luxury Sedan rolls-royce ghost