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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.

NBA sneakerhead P.J. Tucker has Rolls-Royce Jordan 3s that match his Cullinan

There aren't many sneakers that 33-year-old Houston Rockets forward P.J. Tucker does not own. The only sneakers he hasn't gotten his hands on are likely rare grails normal people have never even heard of. His collection surpasses 2200 shoes, and he spent more than $200,000 on sneakers just during the 2017-2018 season. For sneaker fanatics, nearly every time he steps on the court is a throwback to a moment in shoe history or the creation of a new one. Tucker debuted Jerry Lorenzo's Fear of God Nike collaboration. He wore Stewie Griffin-themed Nike LeBron 6s that are valued at about $20,000 on Christmas day. Highly sought-after Nike Off-Whites are like Converse Chucks to him. So, what can you gift the sneakerhead who has everything? Houston-based Post Oak Motors knew it couldn't just gift any old pair of kicks from Flight Club, so the dealership commissioned a pair of Rolls-Royce-themed Air Jordan 3s to match the Rolls-Royce Cullinan that Tucker had recently purchased. The custom kicks were crafted by Jake Danklefs and his crew at Dank & Co. As shown in his Instagram post below, they were made to mirror the color scheme of the Cullinan Tucker ordered, which has white paint over a red interior. From afar, they look pretty similar to the Pure White Jordan 3 retros, but the details set it far apart from that general release shoe. Aside from the red guts and icey translucent outsole, the shoe is made entirely of various textures and hues of white. It has gloss, it has matte leather, it has alligator print, and it has a secondary reptile print. It all comes together with the double-R Rolls-Royce logo on the tongue. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Tucker likes his cars, too. In addition to his Cullinan, he's flashed on Instagram a Miami Blue AWT Motorsports Porsche 911, a Rolls-Royce Phantom, a Lamborghini Aventador Roadster, and a Ferrari 488 Spider. He even has a photo of him with an old gold Nissan Maxima similar to the one his mom bought him for his first car when he was 14 years old. To some, this kind of sneaker obsession might seem frivolous or silly, but who are we to speak? We're car nerds, possibly the most money-sucking hobby there is. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: PJ Tucker via Instagram, Jake Danklefs Auto News Celebrities Rolls-Royce merchandise

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost gets high-tech suspension, AWD, rear-wheel steering

The first-generation Rolls-Royce Ghost started life as a BMW 7 Series, and in 10 years on sale became the best-selling model the brand has known. That sedan ended production last year, leading Rolls-Royce to begin the process of introducing us to the second-generation Ghost. Having abundant feedback from customers about what they'd like in the new model, and, more importantly, having listened to the feedback, Rolls-Royce realized it would need to start from scratch. Engineers modified the aluminum-intensive Architecture of Luxury that supports the Phantom and Cullinan to fit the Ghost's needs, in standard and Extended Wheelbase spec. Instead of the predecessor's rear-wheel drive, the coming Ghost will get standard all-wheel drive. And taking another page from the big brother Cullinan, the entry-level offering will come with rear-wheel steering, too. Going beyond the other two models in the brand's lineup, the Ghost will be the first to fit what Rolls-Royce calls its Planar suspension that brings together three technologies. The first is an upper wishbone damper unit that's been three years in development, placed above the front suspension. The automaker didn't go into details, but the damper unit is said to provide an improvement on the brand's "hallmark magic carpet ride and dynamic abilities." The Flagbearer camera system monitors the road surface ahead to prepare the suspension, a technology offered on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class for a few years now. The third Planar trick is a satellite-aided transmission, wherein the ZF eight-speed automatic "draws GPS data to pre-select optimum gear for upcoming corners," a technology already in use on the Phantom. The bodywork won't stray far from what we know; designers wrapped Spirit of Ecstasy opulence into a discrete package. Inside, the gauge cluster will go digital inside three fixed instrument bezels, next to a widescreen infotainment display, and driver assistance features could include everything from night-vision to some advanced self-driving capability. Under the hood, we expect the same 6.75-liter V12 utilized by the Phantom and Cullinan, with something like 560 horsepower. The global situation pushed the Ghost's launch back, we're told. Deliveries should begin early next year, with a debut sometime between now and then. The first-gen ran $314,400 in standard length, $348,400 in EWB guise.