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Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV reveals its rear to the cameras

Last week, Rolls-Royce released some official photos of its upcoming SUV, code-named Project Cullinan. The SUV was still wearing full camouflage, and we could only see the front half, but it was our first peak at the new vehicle. Now, thanks to one of our spy photographers, we can see the rest. Immediately noticeable are the rear-hinged, suicide-style rear doors. There appears to be a dummy handle at the trailing edge of the door, but there's no hiding the real thing, which match up nicely with the front handles. Also evident is the plain and simple roof line. No flashy curves here, just simple lines and angles. In fact, the profile of the rear hatch is a bit reminiscent of the Land Rover Range Rover. The hatch drops down to a low-profile rear bumper that features squared-off cutouts for the exhaust. There are couple more details we spot in these photos as well. The unmistakable Rolls-Royce grille looks a bit more rounded than what we saw in the official photos. The result is a more familial look to the Ghost-based Rolls-Royce models. Also noticeable is the strong shoulder line found on every Rolls that runs just below the windows from the headlights to the tail. We can't quite see the tail end of the feature line because of some false body work, but it certainly appears to run the length of the car. See for yourself in the gallery above. Related Video:

Rolls-Royce's all-electric aircraft completes 15-minute maiden voyage

Rolls-Royce, best known in aviation for its jet engines, has taken an all-electric airplane on its maiden voyage. The "Spirit of Innovation" completed a 15 minute flight, marking "the beginning of an intensive flight-testing phase in which we will be collecting valuable performance data on the aircraft’s electrical power and propulsion system," the company announced.  Rolls-Royce said the one-seat airplane has "the most power-dense battery pack every assembled for an aircraft." The aircraft uses a 6,000 cell battery pack with a three-motor powertrain that currently delivers 400kW (500-plus horsepower), and Rolls-Royce said the aircraft will eventually achieve speeds of over 300 MPH.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The flight comes about a year after the originally scheduled takeoff and about six months after taxi trials. Rolls-Royce is also developing an air taxi with manufacturer Tecnam, with the aim of delivering an "all-electric passenger aircraft for the commuter market," according to the companies. It has previously teamed with Siemens and Airbus on another e-plane concept.  Aircraft companies have been exploring electric airplanes for a number of years, as air travel and cargo accounts for an increasing amount of greenhouse gases. The World Wildlife Foundation has called it "currently the most carbon intensive activity an individual can make."  Weight is a much bigger problem for airplanes that it is for cars, however. Ford's all-electric Lightning pickup weighs 1,800 pounds more than the gas-powered model, and offers a range that's slightly under half. However, if you added 1,800 pounds to to a Cessna 206 Turbo Stationair, you'd exceed its useful load by 500 pounds before you even loaded passengers (or the pilot) — so it wouldn't even get off the ground.  The project was half funded by the Aerospace Technology Institute and UK government, with the aim of eventually creating all-electric passenger planes. "This is not only about breaking a world record; the advanced battery and propulsion technology developed for this programme has exciting applications for the Urban Air Mobility market and can help make ‘jet zeroÂ’ a reality," said Rolls-Royce CEO Warren East. This article by S. Dent originally appeared on Engadget. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

The Aston Martin Rapide leads this month's list of discounts

Aston Martin was an early entrant into the coupe-shaped sedan battlefield with its rakish Rapide. It was first shown in concept form in 2006 at the Detroit Auto Show before finally going into production in 2010. Ten years have passed since then, and this could well be your last chance to drive a new Rapide off your neighborhood Aston Martin dealership's lot as the four-door is replaced by the DBX crossover. If you've got your eye on a new Rapide — and congratulations if so — you'll be pleased to know that you can snag a 2019 model for the low price of just $217,484. Sure, that's still a lot of money, but it's $24,341 off the car's average $241,825 sticker price. That's the largest monetary savings of August, 2020, and it represents a discount of a little over 10%. And even if the Rapide is getting a little long in the tooth, it's still a strikingly beautiful machine, particularly in its most recent AMR guise. Looking for something different but still extremely rapid? The 2019 Acura NSX is selling for an average transaction price of $142,141. That's an 11% savings off its sticker of $159,703. Or you could opt for a Maserati Quattroporte if you'd like the convenience of a luxury sedan but not the price of the Aston Martin – the four-door Trident-badged machine's average transaction price this month of $107,372 is a 12.4% discount. And if none of that is up your alley, you could go full baller with a Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV for $320,085. That's a savings of $12,665 off the car's average retail price of $332,750. Just think of how much Grey Poupon you could afford with all that leftover cash. For a look at the best new car deals in America based on the percentage discount off their suggested asking prices, check out our monthly recap here. And when you're ready to buy, click here for the Autoblog Smart Buy program, which brings you a hassle-free buying experience with over 9,000 Certified Dealers nationwide. Related Video: Featured Gallery Aston Martin Rapide AMR View 10 Photos Acura Aston Martin Maserati Rolls-Royce Car Buying Convertible Coupe SUV Luxury Performance Sedan consumer best deals