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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.

Rolls-Royce design chief Giles Taylor leaves the company

Another surprise executive departure on the sceptred isle: Rolls-Royce design chief Giles Taylor has left the car company and the parent BMW Group. Rolls-Royce's 52-word statement on Taylor's sudden exit said only that Taylor departed "to pursue alternative business interests." The news comes three days after Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales abruptly quit to become CEO of an English classic car restorer. Taylor leaves less than a month after Rolls-Royce introduced its brand-redefining Cullinan SUV, and before the auto show season where he would have been expected to lead the discussion on the Cullinan's genesis and detailing. According to his LinkedIn page, Taylor began his career with five years as an exterior designer at Peugeot, then graduated to a 14-year stint as chief designer at Jaguar; among other projects, he led the interior design of the 2003 Jaguar XJ before becoming chief exterior designer of the 2009 XJ. He moved from Coventry to Cheshire in 2011, becoming head of exterior design at Rolls-Royce. Just one year into the job, former director of design Ian Cameron left the company, and Taylor took over in 2012. His tenure has included the creation of retail products like the new Phantom and Dawn, one-offs like the Sweptail, concepts like the Next 100, and even a bespoke Paddington Bear. Rolls-Royce says it will announce a new designer "in due course." If the automaker looks in-house, it could tap Pavle Trpinac, now a senior exterior designer credited with the lines on the Wraith and the latest Phantom. Related Video: Image Credit: Rolls-Royce Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Rolls-Royce Luxury jean-marc gales giles taylor

The hottest modern sports cars rendered as rally racers

The modern-day World Rally Championship a monumental amount of fun to watch – I should know, as I recently was lucky enough to head to the UK to watch WRC Wales Rally GB – but even the most monstrous of the current WRC cars are based on fairly pedestrian European hatchbacks. Back in the heyday of rally, the Group B era in the 1980s, much hotter cars were the basis of even more incredible competition machines, for the most part. Take the exotic Ford RS200, or the Lancia Delta S4 with its twin-charged engine. And the hatchback-based Group B cars were bonkers, too. So what would some of our favorite modern cars look like if Group B had never ended? A British site named CarWow hired an artist to reimagine everything from the Rolls-Royce Wraith to the Porsche 911 as a retro-inspired rally car, and they were kind enough to let us share the results in the gallery above. The gallery features an Alfa Romeo Giulia in Martini livery, an Audi TT in classic Ur-Quattro colors, a Fiat 500 Abarth sporting massive flares and a hood blister full of auxiliary lights, a new Ford Mustang in RS200 livery, a Lancia Delta in Alitalia colors, a Porsche 911 in Rothmans livery, a Renault-Alpine in classic blue, a Rolls-Royce Wraith tribute to the Jules cologne Corniche Coupe, and a relatively modern-looking VW Touran. So far, the favorite around the office is the incredible Mercedes-Benz S-Class that is an homage to the wonderful 300 SEL 6.8 AMG "Red Pig" that essentially put AMG on the map. Check out the gallery above and see which one you like the best. Related Video: