2016 Rolls-royce Ghost Series Ii Sedan 4d on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Rolls-Royce gives up on electric, diesel models in favor of hybrid

Rolls-Royce is not what you might characterize as one of the greenest automakers on the market. Its vehicles tend to be rather large, saddled with lots of plush leather, thick carpets and wood trim, and powered by twelve-cylinder engines in excess of six and a half liters. But that doesn't mean that the stoic British automaker isn't trying to clean up its act, even if its customers haven't responded in kind. Rolls did not receive a single order for the all-electric Phantom. A few years ago, Rolls-Royce showcased an all-electric Phantom prototype called the 102EX (pictured above) and sent it on a global tour to demonstrate to customers around the world. But in speaking to company representatives, Autocar reports that Rolls did not receive a single order for such a vehicle. Nor did customers respond favorably to the idea of a diesel Rolls-Royce. Prospective and existing clients exhibited "significant hostility" towards the idea, despite a diesel prototype that was "effectively inaudible" in comparison to the existing gasoline models while delivering torque-driven performance which the company characterized as "impressive" while significantly reducing carbon emissions. As a result, the diesel project was killed off just like the electric one. That doesn't mean that Rolls-Royce is giving up, though. In the wake of the diesel and electric projects, Goodwood is reportedly proceeding with a hybrid powertrain borrowed from parent company BMW, which offers a wide array of hybrids including versions of 3 Series, 5 Series and 7 Series sedans, the X6 crossover and the i3 and i8 PHEVs.

U.S. issues new tariff threat, this time against British-built cars

WASHINGTON — Britain is the United States' closest ally but their long friendship may be sorely tested as the two countries try to forge a new trade agreement after Britain's exit from the European Union. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Saturday in London that he was optimistic that a bilateral deal with Britain could be reached as soon as this year. But Mnuchin gave up no ground after a second meeting with his UK counterpart, Sajid Javid. Javid has insisted that Britain will proceed with a unilateral digital services tax, despite a U.S. threat to levy retaliatory tariffs on British-made autos. Mnuchin told reporters after Saturday's meeting that such taxes would discriminate against big U.S. tech companies like Alphabet Inc's Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon. The UK Treasury declined to comment on the private meeting. The divide highlights the challenges ahead as the Trump administration seeks a new bilateral agreement with Britain, part of a broader push to rebalance relations with nearly all its major trading partners. The stakes are high — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pegged the trade deal with United States as a way to ease the pain of breaking with Europe, Britain's largest trade partner. U.S. President Donald Trump, has promised a "massive" trade deal to support Brexit, the product of a populist movement similar to his "America First" agenda. The goodwill and special relationship the two countries have enjoyed for decades may not count for much, experts say. "Trump is not going to be doing Johnson any favors," said Amanda Sloat, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution in Washington. "He's not going to give him a trade deal without major concessions." Even before the digital tax issue arose, the Trump administration threatened to tax foreign car imports, which could hit British-made Jaguar, Land Rover, Mini, and Honda Civic hatchback cars. Stiff U.S. trade demands include increased access for U.S. farm goods, concessions that will be difficult for Britain's entrenched natural food culture to swallow. The United States also wants Britain to change the way its National Health Service prices drugs and allow in more U.S. pharmaceuticals, which could prove politically unpopular for Johnson's government. Washington's demand that London block Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co Ltd for national security reasons could also cloud talks.

Rolls-Royce shows its festive side with limited-edition Neon Nights models

Anyone who has traveled to Las Vegas has undoubtedly seen brightly-colored Rolls-Royces parading down the Strip, but these head-turning creations usually weren't painted at the factory. The firm decided to flaunt its flamboyant side and one-up the tuners by releasing a colorful trio of limited-edition models named Neon Nights. Rolls-Royce based the Neon Nights on the Black Badge variants of the Wraith, the Dawn, and the Cullinan. Buyers have three colors to choose from: Lime Rock Green (for the Wraith), Eagle Rock Red (for the Dawn), and Mirabeau Blue (for the Cullinan). The first two receive gray leather, while the latter gets a white interior. Stylists didn't choose these colors at random. Lime Rock Green, in Rolls-Royce's own words, is naturally bestowed on the Australian green tree frog. One of its paint specialists spotted one while traveling. Eagle Rock Red is inspired by the flowers of a Hawaiian tree named 'Ohi'a lehua, and Mirabeau Blue is the paint team's tribute to the Periander metalmark butterfly that's native to Central and South America. After selecting suitably exotic plants and animals, Rolls-Royce's in-house paint team set out to give each hue a neon-like glow. Building the Neon Nights cars on the Black Badge variants peppers a bit of irony on the project, but it also gives customers more power. Pop the Cullinan's long, stately hood to find a 6.75-liter V12 that's twin-turbocharged to 600 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque, up from 563 and 627 in the regular model. Both the Dawn and the Wraith receive a twin-turbocharged, 6.6-liter V12 with 593 horsepower and 620 pound-feet of torque on tap, increases of 30 and 15, respectively, over the cars not ordered with the optional Black Badge package. Rolls-Royce explained it initially planned to cap production at one car per color, and it noted the trio was created specifically for customers in the United States. Unexpected demand from other global markets convinced the company to paint three additional cars in each color, meaning a total of 12 examples will be produced. Pricing hasn't been announced yet, but the buyers the British firm is trying to reach don't need ask for a window sticker. Related Video: