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Rolls-Royce planning plug-in hybrid

Rolls-Royce is not the first marque you'd think of when it comes to environmentally friendly transportation. Its cars are big - often the size of SUVs - and pack ginormous twelve-cylinder engines displacing over six and a half liters. Those upright Parthenon grilles can't be very aerodynamic, either. But the way the wind is blowing these days, Goodwood will have to get with the program sooner or later.
It developed an electric version of the Phantom a couple of years ago called the 102EX and showed it to customers around the world. But people weren't interested, so Rolls-Royce killed the program. Not to be deterred, however, Rolls is now said to be working on a plug-in hybrid that would countermand some of the shortcomings - like range and recharging times - that killed the 102EX.
The technology would apparently be borrowed from parent company BMW which is developing it for the X5 eDrive and allow Rolls-Royce to reduce its carbon footprint and offer a more environmentally friendly mode of transportation to those who don't want to skimp on the luxury and prestige.

Rolls-Royce Serenity takes luxury to a new level in Geneva [w/video]

Rolls-Royce is known for cosseting occupants in the lap of luxury, but the brand is taking opulence to a whole new level at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show with the Serenity. The company's Bespoke Design team starts with the already lavish Phantom Extended Wheelbase and just keeps adding extravagant touches. The unique styling takes inspiration from Japanese royalty. For the exterior, the Serenity features a three-stage pearl-effect paint with 12 hours of hand polishing to make it really shine. There are also hand-painted flower blossoms in the coachline. The interior is where the grandeur truly shows, though. Rolls-Royce selected the highest grade of silk from China and then had it hand-woven in Britain into nearly 33 feet of fabric. From there artisans embroidered and hand-painted a delicate, design of trees and blossoms. Rolls-Royce used all of this special material to cover the rear seats, roof and door panels. For even more luxury, the company used a combination of Smoked Cherrywood, bamboo and mother of pearl for the trim. For a little extra embellishment, the designers even applied rubies to the clock. Despite all of the lavish design work, the Phantom Extended Wheelbase's mechanicals remain the same with a V12 engine and eight-speed automatic gearbox. Get a full look at the Serenity's luxurious styling in our gallery above from the Geneva show. Show full PR text ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS BRINGS SERENITY TO THE 2015 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL MOTOR SHOW 02/03/15 from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars "Celebrating the historical role played by silk as a symbol of ultimate elegance, the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Bespoke Design team has created a magnificent one-off Phantom which will set a new benchmark for luxury individualisation in the motor industry, and reaffirm that Bespoke is Rolls-Royce." Torsten Muller-Otvos, CEO, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has brought Serenity to this year's Geneva International Motor Show, unveiling the new standard in authentic, bespoke luxury motoring to the world's media.

Rolls-Royce rolls out one-off Ghost Golden Sunbird in China

In 2001, archeologists in the palace city of Chengdu, China, uncovered the Golden Sun Bird, an ancient artifact that dates back to the Shang Dynasty from 1000 BC. The disc depicts the sun and is made of almost solid gold, measuring five inches across and weighing 20 grams. The city adopted it as its logo, and now Rolls-Royce has commemorated the find and the heritage behind it with a unique one-off.
Based on the long-wheelbase version of the Ghost, the Golden Sunbird edition features a two-tone white and gold paint scheme, with gold coachline and gold grille topped by a gold Spirit of Ecstasy. The interior has likewise been gilded with gold embroidery atop the light brown leather and white trim to match the coachwork.
The result may be elegant but is certainly not subtle. And of course it's just the latest in a long line of special editions and one-offs Rolls-Royce has crafted, particularly for markets in the Middle and Far East.