We've seen some obnoxiously modified Rolls Royce cars but we think this Phantom Drophead Coupe with its Louis Vuitton outer skin and larger than life alloy rims is so vulgar that it deserves to be ranked amongst the worst. Goes to show you that bad taste has no limits nor boundaries, it knows no rules or classes...Via: Autojunk & Autoblog.nl
Hit by the global financial and economic crisis, the BMW Group that consists of the BMW, MINI and Rolls Royce brands reported a loss before interest and taxes of €55 million in the first quarter of the year. That's compared to an operating profit of €827 million the same period a year ago. The Bavarian automaker said it is almost impossible to predict how the global economy will fare in the near future and that it is still currently not feasible to give reliable earnings forecasts. However, the firm's CEO Norbert Reithofer told reporters that he doesn't expect the market to recover before 2010.
In terms of sales, the total number of BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brand vehicles delivered to customers in the first quarter of the year fell by 21.2% to 277,264 units (first quarter 2008: 351,787 units).
Surprisingly, MINI was hit the worst recording a 24.9% decline to 43,592 units versus 58,054 units sold in the first quarter of 2008. Sales of BMW brand cars dropped by 20.5% to 233,498 units compared to 293,550 units a year ago while Rolls Royce sales remained relatively stable at 174 units, which translates to a 4.9% decrease over the same period in 2008 when the company sold 183 vehicles.
The recently baptized Rolls Royce Ghost made its debut at the Concorso d'Eleganza gathering at Lake Como, Italy. The above photo comes courtesy of the folks over at German car magazine Auto Motor und Sport that claim in their article that is the 'series version' of the 200EX concept. From our part, aside from the never before seen exterior color, we couldn't spot any differences between the 200EX and the Ghost. Then again, the Geneva Show 200EX concept wasn't much of a concept so go figure.In any case, Rolls Royce's new "entry-level" luxury sedan that features a new 6.6-liter turbocharged V12 engine sending over 507 horsepower to the rear wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission will go on sale in the beginning of 2010.
Via: AMS
They may say that imitation is the best form of flattery, but we wouldn't bet that the uptight chaps over at Rolls Royce are feeling any sort of flattery upon viewing Geely Motors' luxury GE sedan at the Shanghai Auto Show. To say that the GE's exterior design is inspired from the Rolls Royce Phantom would probably be an understatement. The 5.29 meter or about 208 inches long Chinese limo is a tad shorter than its uber luxurious British counterpart but whereas the Phantom gets a normal rear seat bench, the GE has a single rear chair fit for a king, queen or maybe even a member of the Chinese government...Not surprisingly, the Geely GE Limo does not get a massive V12 engine but instead it goes by with an 'everyday' V6 gasoline engine that's good enough for an output of 278-horsepower and 340Nm of torque that is channeled to the rear whees via an automatic transmission.
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Pics copyright: UP
In another first for the Shanghai Auto Show, Rolls Royce CEO, Tom Purves announced that the luxury automaker's new model series, which until now had been known either by its internal codename PR4 or as the 200EX Concept, will be called the Rolls Royce Ghost. The firm's new entry level luxury sedan that will remain very close to the 200EX Concept that was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show earlier in March, will be powered by a brand new 6.6-liter turbocharged V12 engine delivering an output in excess of 507 horsepower.
According to the British automaker, the Ghost name was used by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars between 1906 and 1925 although these cars were first introduced as the 40/50hp model. A total of 7,876 Ghosts were made during this period, 6173 in Derby, and 1703 in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The new Rolls Royce Ghost that will sit right under the larger and more expensive Phantom in the automaker's range, will go on sale late this year.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars CEO, Tom Purves, said, "We are delighted to formally announce the Rolls-Royce Ghost. It is one of the most revered names in the automotive industry, evoking images of adventure and technical innovation. The name reflects this new model's breadth of abilities.
"The first cars to bear the Ghost name were known not only for impressive dependability and refinement but also great flair and style. This car will be the first in a new generation of models to carry this evocative name and will give us two pinnacle product lines – Phantom and Ghost," he concluded.
Rolls Royce Ghost Specs
This is so wrong, in so many ways that we've lost count. But admittedly it is comically hilarious. Actually it's probably the most ridiculous transformation of a Hummer we've seen to date. Now, why on earth would someone perform a Rolls Royce Phantom-like face transplant on an Hummer H2 is beyond logical comprehension. We'll just leave it at that...Via: Autogespot
If by any chance you were wondering whether or not this year's Shanghai Auto Show that runs from April 20 to 28 will host any new Chinese clones, BYD Auto with its Lexus RX doppelganger and now Geely with its new "Phantomized" GE limo, leave few doubts to as what we should be expecting to see at the motorshow.
Among the army of new cars and concept studies that Geely is preparing to bring to Shanghai is the GE, a proposal for a high-end limousine that looks like the outcome of a 10-year-old designing a Rolls-Royce Phantom. However, unlike the British luxury sedan, the 5.3-meter long GE does not get suicide rear doors while weirdly enough, the car's interior has a 2+1 seating arrangement, with the rear passenger getting the royal treatment.
Source: Geely
Rolls-Royce CEO, Tom Purves announced new details on the firm's forthcoming entry-level 'baby' sedan that was previewed in Geneva in early March as the near-production 200EX concept, at a press conference in New York where the car is currently being shown to potential customers on the first leg of a world tour. Codenamed PR4, the four-door luxury sedan will be powered by a brand new 6.6-liter turbocharged V12 engine unique to Rolls-Royce delivering an output in excess of 507 horsepower.
The new V12 engine that is also said to find its way under the bonnet of the latest generation BMW 7-Series, will be matted to an 8-speed automatic ZF gearbox. The British firm claims that the new drive-train will significantly improve fuel and CO2 efficiency over the larger Phantom series of cars.
Speaking at the event, Tom Purves said, "There has been a great deal of interest in this car since we first talked about producing a new model series in the autumn of 2006 and the reaction 200EX received at its unveiling at Geneva was very positive. As we move another step closer to the start of production at Goodwood, it is exciting to be able to share some of the specific technical details with customers and the media."
"The RR4 will deliver an authentic Rolls-Royce experience to owners, so expect peerless comfort and build quality. However, we have consciously engineered this car to be more involving and dynamic for those owners around the world that will wish to drive it themselves," he concluded.
The production version of the 200EX concept will be officially revealed at this September's Frankfurt Show with sales commencing in early 2010.
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