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Rolls-Royce Digital Dawn Launch | Autoblog Minute

Rolls-Royce unveils its newest vehicle in grand modern fashion.he four seater was revealed with a multi-platform global digital event. The British automaker originally teased Dawn using social media, with the grand reveal coming via a live web feed. Rolls-Royce Autoblog Minute Videos Original Video rolls-royce dawn

Rolls-Royce predicts it will set a delicious production record in 2020

Rolls-Royce suspended production at its Goodwood, England, factory in March 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, but there's at least one part of its business that's not affected by the temporary shutdown. The 250,000 bees that live and work near its factory are on track to set another production record in 2020. The BeeMW-owned (sorry) firm opened its Bee Apiary in 2017. It currently consists of six hives named Phantom, Wraith, Ghost, Dawn, Cullinan, and Spirit of Ecstasy, respectively. Rolls-Royce announced the quarter-million bees that buzz around its premises emerged from winter in excellent health, and they're expected to make even more honey in 2020 than in 2019 (though Rolls-Royce didn't specify a quantity). Clearly, social distancing and work-from-home orders don't apply here. Rolls-Royce works with local beekeepers to process the honey when it's ready, but don't look for it in the breakfast aisle the next time you're out buying groceries. It's exclusively served to the company's guests, like the customers who travel to Goodwood to configure or take delivery of a car. Put another way, a taste of Rolls-Royce-branded honey will cost you at least $300,000 and a round-trip ticket to the British countryside. Surprisingly, the rivalry between Rolls-Royce and Bentley continues in the world of beekeeping. In 2019, Bentley built two giant hives for 120,000 bees near its headquarters in Crewe, England. It predicted they'd make about 33 pounds of honey annually, which amounts to about 50 jars. Ford keeps tens of thousands of bees, too; it's caring for at least 80,000 bees near the Rouge factory that currently manufactures the F-150. Bees are an often-overlooked part of the ecosystem. Plants depend on pollination to reproduce, and bees are nature's main pollinators; we'd ultimately have less food if bees were eradicated from the planet. They're endangered in many parts of the world, which is why some automakers are choosing to give them a home.  Related Video: Featured Gallery Rolls-Royce Bee Apiary Green Weird Car News Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce could go electric, if battery tech advances

After toying with the idea a few year ago, Rolls-Royce isn't ready to completely give up on the idea of an electric model quite yet. Still, a hyper-luxurious EV from the opulent brand might not happen any time soon. "Suppose we find a battery technology that can offer ranges that are acceptable to our customers," brand boss Torsten Muller-Otvos said, according to Automotive News. "I can definitely imagine a fully electric Rolls-Royce." Muller-Otvos was clear that no final decision on an EV or even a much-rumored plug-in hybrid has been made yet. Rumors of an EV from the brand go back years. At the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, Rolls-Royce showed that it wasn't completely against going electric. The 102EX concept (pictured above) was based on a Phantom but with two, 194-horsepower electric motors and a 71-kWh battery to power them. The company claimed the behemoth had an estimated range of 124 miles and could hit 60 miles per hour in under eight seconds. At least one journalist even got to drive it. However, the brand's wealthy customers reportedly weren't convinced, and the project was canned. In 2014, several reports began suggesting a plug-in hybrid Rolls under development that would answer concerns about range and charging time amongst the clientele. This powertrain could debut on the next-gen Phantom around 2017, and it's likely to be borrowed from parent company BMW.