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Rolls-Royce confirms new luxury SUV name

Transcript: Rolls-Royce confirms name of new luxury SUV. Rolls-Royce officially acknowledges Cullinan as the name of its new “high-bodied vehicle.” The automaker is steering around the SUV moniker. The name Cullinan comes from the largest flawless diamond ever found. The Cullinan will share a platform with the Phantom. Meaning it will likely get a 6.75-liter twin-turbo V12 engine with an 8-speed automatic transmission. With a possible output of 563 horsepower and 664 pound feet of torque. The Cullinan looks nearly ready for production and we expect the wraps to come off in the next few months. With deliveries starting in 2019. Rolls-Royce Cullinan will be the official name of the luxury automakers SUV. The “high-bodied vehicle” is named after the Cullinan diamond, the largest flawless diamond ever found. We expect the official reveal of the Cullinan in the next few month. For more coverage head over to autoblog.com Rolls-Royce SUV Autoblog Minute Videos Original Video camouflage

Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge combines elevated power, style, luxury

For once, a black-themed special-edition vehicle actually has some depth. And it had better, because it's a Rolls-Royce. The new Cullinan Black Badge is not simply an SUV with black exhaust tips, a black grille, and black trim work, though it does have all three. In addition to a myriad of design treatments, some of which have never been applied to a Rolls-Royce, the Cullinan BB has increased power, a sportier drive setup, and unique features specific to this vehicle.  One of the most significant upgrades between the base Cullinan and the Black Badge is the performance. Rolls-Royce finessed the twin-turbocharged 6.75-liter to make 600 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque, both up from 563 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque. Zero to 60 takes only 4.9 seconds, and it tops out at 155 mph. The Black Badge also has "intuitive throttle," which makes the ZF eight-speed transmission shift a little more aggressively, and a "low" button on the gear shift opens up a deep-voiced exhaust note. Furthering the package, Rolls-Royce made changes to the suspension components and settings to ready for lively driving. A higher brake point in the pedal travel and redesigned high-temperature-resistant brake discs help keep the SUV in check. This is also the first time ever a Rolls-Royce has used colored brake calipers.  Said to represent the style of a younger generation, "permanent bespoke" Black Badge vehicles undergo a dark transformation. We say dark, because black is not the only paint option. A white model was also shown at the unveiling and contrasted well with other darkened parts on the SUV. Apparently, each paint job is hand-polished for up to five hours to ensure peak shiny. Rolls-Royce emphasized how big of a deal it was to use a black Spirit of Ecstasy, which changed color thanks to a chemical process, not paint or wraps. The inverted badging, grille surround, side frame finishers, trunk handle, trunk trim, lower air inlet finisher, and exhaust pipes also received black makeovers, and new 22-inch black and silver wheels adorn each corner. Inside, "The King of the Night," as Rolls-Royce says (guess that title is available after the last season of "Game of Thrones"), has more all-new features. Crafted with a leather headliner and 1,344 fiber optic strands, the Starlight ceiling is introduced to the Cullinan with eight white shooting stars integrated into the pattern. The carbon fiber has been redesigned with aluminum weave and shows off a 3D geometric pattern.

BMW warns profits will fall, plans $13.6 billion in cost-cutting

FRANKFURT, Germany — BMW said Wednesday that profits in 2019 will be "well below" last year's, and it will cut 12 billion euros ($13.6 billion) in costs by the end of 2022 to offset spending on new technology. The company said profits would be eroded by higher raw materials prices, the costs of compliance with tougher emissions requirements and unfavorable shifts in currency exchange rates. The Munich-based automaker also faces increased uncertainty due to international trade conflicts that could lead to higher tariffs. "Depending on how conditions develop, our guidance may be subject to additional risks; in particular, the risk of a no-deal Brexit and ongoing developments in international trade policy," said Chief Financial Officer Nicolas Peter. The company forecast a profit margin of 6 to 8 percent for its automotive business, short of the long-term strategic target of 8 to 10 percent, which it said still "remains the ambition" for the company if given "a stable business environment." BMW said it had no plans for layoffs even as it outlined cost saving measures that include dropping half of its engine variants as it seeks to reduce product complexity. The BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce brands are to get a single sales division. Peter said that given the headwinds to earnings, "we began to introduce countermeasures at an early stage and have taken a number of far-reaching decisions." The company said the measures were needed "to offset the ongoing high level of upfront expenditure required to embrace the mobility of the future." Automakers around the world have faced heavy up-front costs for technology expected to change how people get from one place to another in the next decade. Those include electric cars and renting cars through smartphone apps. Yet the returns from such investments remain uncertain and auto companies face competition from tech firms such as Uber and Waymo. BMW made 7.2 billion euros ($8.2 billion) in net profit last year, down 17 percent from 2017, when it booked a gain of $1 billion from U.S. tax changes. The company faced headwinds from increased tariffs on vehicles exported to China from the United States. It also suffered from turmoil on the German auto market when companies faced bottlenecks getting cars certified for new emissions rules. BMW faces uncertainty from U.S.-China trade tensions that could result in new tariffs if talks do not result in an agreement. U.S.