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Giles Taylor succeeds Ian Cameron as head of Rolls-Royce design

Back in the day, a Rolls-Royce looked pretty much the same as a Bentley, but with a different grille. Once BMW took over Rolls-Royce, however, it was faced with the challenge of visually separating itself from its former sister brand. And most would agree that it did so pretty well. But its cars have looked pretty much the same ever since. What Rolls-Royce needs, then, is a bit of a design shake-up. And that's just what this latest appointment could bring.
After a baker's dozen years as design director at Rolls-Royce (and twenty years designing for the BMW Group altogether), Ian Cameron is retiring from his post. In his place, Rolls-Royce has named Giles Taylor as its new director of design. In his new capacity, Taylor will report directly to BMW Group chief designer Adrian van Hooydonk, and be responsible for all design matters related to the Rolls-Royce brand and its products.
Taylor was promoted to the role from his previous position as head of exterior design for the marque, a position he's held for barely more than a year. We'll be eagerly watching to see what the veteran British car designer has in store for the future of Rolls-Royce. In the meantime you can read the full announcement below.

Rolls-Royce to decide on SUV by year's end

The market for high-end luxury SUVs continues to climb, but Rolls-Royce is in no huge rush to jump on the leather-clad, high-riding bandwagon. The company has just announced a new sales record for the fifth year running, with over 4,000 units delivered in 2014. But it recognizes that SUVs are where the market is going, so it's going to carefully weigh its options, and make a decision on how to proceed by the end of 2015. This according to Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos in speaking with Auto Express. "There is not yet a final decision, because we still need to answer a couple of questions ourselves," said Muller-Otvos in regard to a potential SUV, admitting, "You need to move the brand from time to time, you need to go with the flow. We might even see in a few years that the classical sedan segments are shrinking due to the fact that SUV type vehicles are growing. So if you don't change your product portfolio to something that is up to date then at some point in time you might even die." If the storied Goodwood-based marque does proceed with an SUV, it would be following former sister-company Bentley into the segment. But they're not the only ones. Mercedes is said to be preparing a Maybach version of the next GL-Class, Jaguar Land Rover keeps making increasingly expensive and luxurious Range Rovers, and Maserati is preparing to launch its Levante crossover. The prospect of an SUV isn't the only project Rolls-Royce has in the works, though. It's got a convertible version of the Wraith coming soon, and sooner or later there will be a replacement for the thirteen-year-old Phantom saloon, potentially to include some carbon fiber in its construction to help trim weight. A hybrid powertrain could be in the mix as well, though customers have shunned the idea of a pure electric model. Just don't expect a Rolls-Royce more accessible than the Ghost: the company is glad to be growing its sales, but is not chasing any specific sales targets that would press it to cheapen the brand by going down-market.

Here's an official peek at the Rolls-Royce SUV

Rolls-Royce let out a pair of new images of Project Cullinan, the company's attempt to deliver ultra-luxury and brick-like aerodynamics in an SUV form factor. These images mark the first time we've seen Project Cullinan in its production body, albeit clad with swirly camouflage. All our previous spy photos showed a Phantom with a ridiculous wing, for example. These new images hide the wagon-like traits of the rear, but are a strong sign that Rolls has finalized the Cullinan's design. The prominent slatted grille and imposing headlights are the big design calling cards, but even with the camouflage, the upright fascia and long hood stand out as distinguishing styling traits. Even the mirrors say "Rolls-Royce", sitting atop delicate stalks with sizable housings on top. We can't divine much about the Cullinan's tail or rear haunches, so there's still some mystery yet to be revealed. With these are official images out, we expect an influx of spy images in the very near future. According to the company, Cullinan will move to the Arctic Circle for cold-weather testing after the Christmas holidays. Later next year, it's off to what's likely the SUV's primary market – the Middle East – for hot weather testing. Naturally, our spies should return a bevy of images of both hot and cold-weather testing. Stay tuned. View 2 Photos