1983 Rolls Royce Corniche Base Convertible 2-door 6.7l on 2040-cars

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Rolls-Royce might 'enter into fuel cells'

Rolls-Royce released its first series-produced EV, the Spectre, in 2022, and the brand plans to launch additional battery-powered models in the coming years. It's not closing the door to other powertrains, however, and it's notably open to experimenting with hydrogen fuel cells. "Why not? I would say so when the time is right for us, and when the technology is so much advanced, that it is definitely something we would pursue as Rolls-Royce. Why not? We might exit batteries, and we might enter into fuel cells," company boss Torsten Muller-Otvos told British magazine Autocar. He stopped short of revealing whether engineers are currently testing hydrogen fuel cell-powered prototypes. It's too early to tell whether Rolls-Royce would develop a hydrogen fuel cell on its own or whether it would source some of the drivetrain's parts from parent company BMW, which has dabbled in this technology for decades. BMW notably began building an X5-based, hydrogen-powered prototype called iX5 in 2023, and it plans to ultimately funnel the feedback it gathers by testing the model into a production car. Muller-Otvos has already ruled out building a car powered by a hydrogen-burning engine, however. "I think a hydrogen combustion engine is nothing I would in any way look into, because that was tested already years ago. This is not the most efficient way to use hydrogen. If hydrogen will be used in the future, then it's fuel cells. And fuel cells are nothing different from a battery. It is just how you get the energy," he told Autocar, referring to the hydrogen-burning 7 Series prototype tested by BMW in the 2000s. Rolls-Royce, like nearly every brand looking at hydrogen technology, warns that the infrastructure needs to improve before the fuel cell can merge into the mainstream. "You can't obviously have hydrogen charging at home, whereas [with EVs] you have one big advantage, and all of our clients have big garages. There is lots of space at home and there is lots of space in office buildings to install charging," the CEO said. As it stands, Rolls-Royce wants to sell only electric cars by the end of 2030, and it hasn't announced plans to launch a series-produced hydrogen-electric model. It's not unreasonable to assume that this outlook could change during the second half of the 2020s, however.

2022 Rolls-Royce Cullinan Review | Three things I learned driving a $429,400 SUV

TROY, Mich. — Rolls-Royce is the epitome of the vehicle as a luxury good. It has features that are expensive and luxurious rather than functional, and they create an image that separates a Rolls-Royce from almost everything else, save perhaps Bentley. I recently spent a few days in the 2022 Rolls-Royce Cullinan, the brandÂ’s first and only SUV. ItÂ’s a legit people-hauler. Good luck getting your retriever and her food in the Ferrari Purosangue, but the Cullinan borders on a #vanlife operation. HereÂ’s three things I learned after driving in the opulent $429,400 Cullinan.  Fear not, itÂ’s easy to drive The intimidation factor is not what I expected. The Cullinan is about as long as a Chevy Tahoe and four inches wider. It does not drive that way. The steering is light but direct and communicative. Factor in four-wheel steering, and itÂ’s like driving a much smaller car. The driverÂ’s seating position is excellent and provided a clear view of my surroundings. With the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament leading the way, it felt majestic. ThatÂ’s what Rolls is going for, but the setting also gave me confidence with both corners clearly visible. It doesnÂ’t matter how much a car costs if you feel like you know what youÂ’re doing. RollsÂ’ famous Magic Carpet Ride makes for perhaps the smoothest experience IÂ’ve had in any car or SUV. The suspension is always adjusting, and almost no bumps or potholes could bother me or my passengers. It really is next-level comfort. Given that the chassis is working with 22-inch wheels, itÂ’s all the more impressive. The V12 engine puts out 563 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque. Get on the throttle and it will move, but with decorum. Yes, thereÂ’s an aura IÂ’ve driven plenty of luxury cars that donÂ’t live up to the hype. The Cullinan is not one of them. My Rolls had the Shooting Star headliner, a $7,975 option that turns your vehicle into a rolling planetarium. ItÂ’s one of those features that sounds contrived until you experience it. The celestial sky is mesmerizing, and when your passengers see the shooting-star feature, get ready for the oohs and ahhs. Rolls first launched the headliner in 2006 as a custom option, but now itÂ’s on most of its vehicles. The stars are illuminated by fiber-optic cables and six powerful light cannons, according to Rolls-Royce, and thereÂ’s up to 1,600 hand-cut holes in the headliner. You can personalize the constellations.

BMW's Connected Drive feature vulnerable to hackers

BMW is working to fix a cyber-security flaw that has left 2.2 million vehicles worldwide vulnerable to hackers. Cars equipped with the automaker's Connected Drive remote-services system are affected, according to the German Automobile Association (ADAC), which first discovered the problem. Researchers found they could lock and unlock car doors by mimicking mobile communications and sending phony signals to a SIM card installed in affected vehicles. An attack could be launched "within minutes" of accessing the system without the perpetrators leaving a trace, according to their report, in part because once they had gained access to the network, the communications were not secure. In response to the security gap, BMW says it has been upgrading software via over-the-air updates over the past week, so no visits to dealerships are needed to remedy the security hole. In fact, owners of affected cars may not have even noticed the updates taking place. The problem affects BMW, Rolls-Royce and MINI vehicles equipped with Connected Drive since 2010. Flaws were first reported to BMW last year by ADAC, which is the country's equivalent of AAA. ADAC says it withheld a public announcement until the car company could address the problem. While BMW has pushed the software patch to most affected vehicles, the organization said it's possible some at cars in the United States had not yet been updated. BMW did not respond to a request for comment Monday. In a written statement, the automaker said it knows of no real-world breaches. 2015 Off To Dubious Start The hack could raise the eyebrows of industry leaders: Cars are now the equivalent of mobile computers and cyber-security experts have been warning that the auto industry has been slow to close its security holes. BMW's breach marks the second time in 2015 that researchers have found a popular automotive feature with little or no security precautions. Last month, experts said a popular device made by Progressive Insurance that allows motorists to track their driving habits contained no security whatsoever. Like the Connected Drive smart-phone app, many automotive components and infotainment features were conceived and produced at a time when industry executives never considered the possibility someone might want to hack into them. But increased connectivity brings increased risk. Going forward, BMW says its Connected Drive features will now operate by using encrypted communications via the HTTPS protocol.