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Zero-emission zones are forcing Rolls-Royce to develop its first EV

Rolls-Royce confirmed its first series-produced electric car will debut before the end of 2020. The BMW-owned firm is pivoting toward electrification to give its customers access to city zero-emission zones. Instead of putting batteries in one of its existing models, the company will enter the EV segment with a new nameplate. Unverified reports claim the car will replace the Wraith and the Dawn, so it could arrive as a coupe and/or as a convertible, and Automotive News learned it will ride on Rolls-Royce's modular aluminum platform. It's too early for executives to provide technical specifications. Rolls-Royce could choose to borrow components from its parent company, or it could develop the technology on its own. Regardless, the brand stressed its customers aren't clamoring for a zero-emission options, but regulations are forcing Rolls to go electric. "There is no demand from customers, but we need to be in a position to sell them a car if legislation forbids them from driving a combustion-engined car into the center of a city," a spokesperson told Automotive News. Company CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos announced the model is currently being developed, and it's scheduled to make its debut "within this decade." He added an electric powertrain fits the brand's image perfectly, because it's silent and it delivers the mammoth amount of torque customers expect, whether they're driving or being driven. Batteries add weight, but no one buys a Rolls-Royce thinking they're getting a nimble, feather-light car. In the meantime, Rolls-Royce will continue fine-tuning its mighty V12 engine, which it anticipates will power most of the cars it builds until the end of the 2020s. And, don't expect it to release a plug-in hybrid model. It's skipping gasoline-electric technology and going straight from 12-cylinders to electric motors. Rolls-Royce has been on the fence about electrification for about a decade. It introduced an electric version of the last-generation Phantom named 102EX at the 2011 edition of the Geneva auto show, and it briefly considered giving the sedan the proverbial green light for production. It backpedaled when it realized the technology still had serious limitations, notably in terms of driving range, and that its customers weren't interested in going electric. Engineers tested hybrid prototypes in the 2010s, but they remained at the test mule stage.

Third Rolls-Royce Wraith teaser looks inward

After shadowy images of the 2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith in profile and of the car's rump, the slow striptease of this hyper-luxury coupe finally starts to show us what the inside of the car will look like. We'll get our up-close look at the 2014 Wraith at the Geneva Motor Show on March 5th, but to tide us over until then, Rolls-Royce has provided a pair of images showing just some of the details that will be present inside.
Promising the interior of an "ultra-luxury yacht," the Wraith will get plenty of soft leather and real wood paneling, and as we suspected, this car will share a lot of interior bits with its sedan counterpart, the Rolls-Royce Ghost. We can somewhat see this from the second image provided showing the placement of the clock and the air vents that look almost identical to what can be seen currently on the Ghost. On the Wraith, though, the clock's hands feature "Blood Orange" tips, which not only contrast the high-gloss, piano black finish of this instrument panel but also is designed to pay homage to the aviation side of Rolls-Royce.

Rolls-Royce to show new Cullinan SUV in 'closed-room' events

Rolls-Royce plans a series of closed-room events starting this summer to show off its upcoming ultra-luxury SUV to potential buyers ahead of its expected unveiling in late summer. Codenamed the Cullinan and described by the company as an "all-terrain, high-sided vehicle," the SUV is Rolls-Royce's answer to ultra-luxury competitors like the Bentley Bentayga and Lamborghini's new Urus. It's expected to nudge the brand's vehicle sales past 5,000 a year after sales in 2017 fell 16 percent to 3,362, Automotive News reports. Engineers are now finalizing the handling of the vehicle on Germany's Nurburgring track. The Cullinan bears the luxury brand's signature long hood, vertical-slatted grille and upright, block-like fascia. It will be built on the same aluminum platform as the Phantom and is also likely to share the 6.75-liter twin-turbo V12 that makes 563 horsepower and and eight-speed automatic transmission, only in all-wheel-drive. Sales are expected to start near the end of the year with deliveries beginning in 2019.Related Video: