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BMW bringing 9 Series concept to Beijing

It appears that BMW is ready to take another step upmarket with a new concept flagship luxury sedan at the Beijing Motor Show at the end of April. The showcar is said to preview the company's rumored 9 Series, a sedan that would be positioned against top trims of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, like the rumored S600 Maybach.
According to Automotive News Europe, the concept sedan wears styling language adapted from the curvaceous BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe (pictured above) shown at the 2013 Villa d'Este Concours d'Elegance in May. It rides on BMW's new, modular platform - codenamed G11 - for the company's largest cars, an architecture also expected to be shared with the next 7 Series and future Rolls-Royce vehicles. It's rumored to bring the weight of the 7 closer to the 5 Series, which would be several hundred pounds lighter when comparing the base models of both current vehicles. We spotted the next-gen 7 Series testing over a year ago, and both it and the 9 Series are expected to go on sale in 2016.
Unfortunately, at the moment there is no official information about the concept. "We don't have any official news yet on anything in Beijing," Julian Arguelles, BMW USA spokesperson, tells Autoblog. However, it's heartening to think that BMW might be adapting the gorgeous shape of the Gran Lusso for production.

This exploding Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow is angering, mesmerizing

Between Las Vegas and the emirates of the Persian Gulf, we're sure there are Rolls-Royces to be found in the desert all the time. And we don't doubt that, given those locations, one gets torched every so often. There'd probably even be someone in a tuxedo or evening gown running for cover when it happens, too. The thing is that we're seldom if ever there to watch it go down, much less capture it in stunning high-definition, frame-by-frame video when it does.
That's where this four-minute clip by Tyler Shields comes in. The American photographer and filmmaker staged and captured this Silver Shadow being doused in gasoline (or at least what we're supposed to believe is gasoline) and set afire in the Mojave Desert, along with actor Cru Ennis and actress Ana Mulvoy-Ten.
It's heartbreaking but mesmerizing, and you'll want to watch the video for yourself to see which side you fall on. If it's the former, take solace at least in the fact that the Silver Shadow is far from a rare beast. In fact, it remains by far the most prolific Rolls-Royce ever, with over 30,000 made between 1965 and 1980... so we doubt this one will be missed terribly.

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