1984 Rolls Royce Silver Spirit on 2040-cars

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The UK votes for Brexit and it will impact automakers

It's the first morning after the United Kingdom voted for what's become known as Brexit – that is, to leave the European Union and its tariff-free internal market. Now begins a two-year process in which the UK will have to negotiate with the rest of the EU trading bloc, which is its largest export market, about many things. One of them may be tariffs, and that could severely impact any automaker that builds cars in the UK. This doesn't just mean companies that you think of as British, like Mini and Jaguar. Both of those automakers are owned by foreign companies, incidentally. Mini and Rolls-Royce are owned by BMW, Jaguar and Land Rover by Tata Motors of India, and Bentley by the VW Group. Many other automakers produce cars in the UK for sale within that country and also export to the EU. Tariffs could damage the profits of each of these companies, and perhaps cause them to shift manufacturing out of the UK, significantly damaging the country's resurgent manufacturing industry. Autonews Europe dug up some interesting numbers on that last point. Nissan, the country's second-largest auto producer, builds 475k or so cars in the UK but the vast majority are sent abroad. Toyota built 190k cars last year in Britain, of which 75 percent went to the EU and just 10 percent were sold in the country. Investors are skittish at the news. The value of the pound sterling has plummeted by 8 percent as of this writing, at one point yesterday reaching levels not seen since 1985. Shares at Tata Motors, which counts Jaguar and Land Rover as bright jewels in its portfolio, were off by nearly 12 percent according to Autonews Europe. So what happens next? No one's terribly sure, although the feeling seems to be that the jilted EU will impost tariffs of up to 10 percent on UK exports. It's likely that the UK will reciprocate, and thus it'll be more expensive to buy a European-made car in the UK. Both situations will likely negatively affect the country, as both production of new cars and sales to UK consumers will both fall. Evercore Automotive Research figures the combined damage will be roughly $9b in lost profits to automakers, and an as-of-yet unquantified impact on auto production jobs. Perhaps the EU's leaders in Brussels will be in a better mood in two years, and the process won't devolve into a trade war. In the immediate wake of the Brexit vote, though, the mood is grim, the EU leadership is angry, and investors are spooked.

Rolls-Royce Phantom Zenith takes assembly line with it

Rolls-Royce is phasing out the Phantom Coupe and Drophead Coupe. But before it does, the luxury automaker is, as promised, building a few final examples that actually take parts of the assembly line with it. Called the Zenith Collection, these special-edition two-door Phantoms feature a number of unique upgrades to set it apart, and the most intriguing one is right there in the dashboard. That's where a component from the Phantom's assembly line in Goodwood is housed in a polished, laser-engraved aluminum case with the kind of ornamentation you might otherwise find on a high-end shotgun. Naturally, that's not all there is to the Zenith editions. They also feature special paintjobs, laser-etched armrests, machined aluminum cupholders, and a trunk fitted with a custom picnic basket, and mini-bar fridge for cooling champagne. Rolls will only make 50 examples, and they've all been spoken for already. Expect the factory to offer a similar special on the Phantom sedan, orders for which are now being taken before production ends for good. Eventually there'll be a new model line to replace the Phantom – one that promises to be lighter and more advanced, but no less luxurious than the outgoing model. But in the meantime, high-end customers will have to suffice with the Ghost, Wraith, and Dawn. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. PHANTOM ZENITH COLLECTION "As we begin to write a bold new chapter in Rolls-Royce history, I am delighted to present a Bespoke Collection that so elegantly celebrates two of the world's rarest and most celebrated luxury goods; Phantom Drophead Coupe and Phantom Coupe. Phantom Zenith Collection motor cars speak of the marque's unrelenting commitment to setting and advancing the standard by which all other luxury goods are judged." Torsten Muller-Otvos, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. From its foundation 112 years ago, the story of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has been defined by a restless commitment to setting and raising the standard by which all other luxury goods are judged. On January 1 2003, this philosophy was realised emphatically with the handover of the first seventh generation Phantom to its customer at the newly established Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England.

Rolls-Royce seriously considering SUV

A Rolls-Royce Phantom may be the size of an SUV, and the Ghost isn't that much smaller. Still, according to reports, the high-end British automaker is seriously evaluating the prospect of adding a proper sport-ute or crossover to its lineup.
The news comes courtesy of Bloomberg, which spoke to Rolls-Royce chief executive Torsten Müller-Ötvös at the Frankfurt Motor Show last week. Although the rumor of a potential Rolls off-roader has been floating around for several months now, this is the first we've seen of the company confirming the possibility.
The development would follow similar projects being undertaken by rival automakers. Former sister-brand Bentley is preparing to launch an SUV, Jaguar revealed its own concept crossover at the same show, Maserati is gearing up to start production of the Levante and even Aston Martin has considered the idea of a crossover.