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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.

2016 Rolls-Royce Dawn debuts [w/video]

"It expresses this notion of opening up and the light coming in." Rolls-Royce officials said this of the new Dawn convertible during a private showing in Beverly Hills back in May. It was quite a coincidence, then, that the Friday I saw the Dawn in person was the first clear day in southern California after a stretch of unseasonable rain and clouds. I already told you many details about Rolls-Royce's new convertible Drophead, but now, ahead of its official debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week, we have the official release. And while the Dawn shares its underpinnings with the Ghost sedan and Wraith coupe, Rolls sees this new model as different enough to warrant a separate name. "It speaks of fabulous places and beautiful people." "Given its character, [the Dawn] deserved a name that was not ethereal," Rolls-Royce said. "It speaks of fabulous places and beautiful people. It's a lot sexier [than the Phantom]." And while the design seems like a convertible Wraith at a glance, nearly 80 percent of the Dawn's body panels are new. The doors carry over, but the chin is pulled forward by 2.1 inches compared to the Wraith and the grille is recessed by 1.7 inches. The beltline arches up around the back of the cabin, "how you turn a collar up on a jacket," according to one designer. The Dawn is a very pretty car, and the effect of the dark blue exterior contrasting with and orange interior stunning in person, if muted in the photos. The six-layer canvas top retracts in a silent operation, stowing neatly behind the open-pore wood deck just aft of the rear seats. In yet another breathless passage, Rolls says passengers should not be "inconvenienced by noise." With the top up, the profile of the Dawn is more three-box hot rod than the fastback look of the Wraith. A choice of 20- or 21-inch polished or painted wheels round out the exterior. Inside, Dawn is fitted with the same luxurious appointments and technology as Wraith and Ghost, with seating for four. Accessing the rear seats is easy, and there's ample legroom for tall passengers – I watched several six-foot-plus journalists nestle themselves back there without issue. That said, on planet Rolls-Royce the Dawn is not a 2+2. "In the world of Rolls-Royce, day-to-day mathematical norms don't always apply. That's why I say in the case of the new Rolls-Royce Dawn, 2+2 does not equal 4." But it holds four people. So, yeah. Rolls-Royce says the Dawn is its "most versatile canvas" yet.

Rolls-Royce Spectre revealed — its first-ever, 577-horsepower electric car

Next year, Rolls-Royce plans to deliver its first EV: Spectre. Teased more than a year ago, this new EV will be the first battery-powered model from Rolls-Royce (but not its last) as the company turns the page to what CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos called "the start of a bold new chapter" for the show-stopping British marque. While the Spectre is not yet ready for prime time, the new battery-powered coupe has reached the point where Rolls-Royce is comfortable sharing it with the world as its engineers work to hammer out the details.  Rolls-Royce Spectre EV View 34 Photos Its side profile may suggest that Spectre shares its underpinnings with the Wraith, but Rolls-Royce says that's not the case. Aerodynamic drag be damned, Rolls-Royce went out of its way to redesign the Spirit of Ecstasy so that it could remain a fixture of the company's design even in a world where even the smallest hint of turbulence can draw scrutiny. This is the first production implementation of the revised ornament. Under the skin lies an all-aluminum architecture engineered to reduce mass wherever possible. This (and its derivatives) will be the platform upon which Rolls-Royce's future EVs will ride; it's also shared with the company's latest round of petroleum-powered models. Rolls-Royce says it is also 30% stiffer than any previous model the company has sold, which is no mean feat considering the fact that its engineers incorporated the battery pack into the Spectre's structure.  Integrating powertrain into the chassis can be a nightmare for internal combustion models, but Rolls-Royce says it has paid big dividends with Spectre. Mass dampening is one of the most effective means of controlling vehicle NVH, and very few components offer the density of a battery pack. All 700 kilograms (~1,540 pounds) pull double duty as sound deadening in the Spectre. That brings its total curb weight to just under 6,650 pounds — approximately 1,300 pounds heavier than the Wraith.  Rolls-Royce says it'll have more than enough power to overcome that mass. While specifications of the battery pack and motors are not yet available, Rolls-Royce did confirm that it its targeting a power output of 577 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. It should hit 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds on the way to a top speed of 155. With its 23-inch wheels, it should offer approximately 260 miles of range on the EPA cycle.