2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost officially revealed

BMW has released the official details and images of the new Rolls-Royce Ghost (aka RR4), the new model series in the company’s ultra-luxury brand. Visually, the model remains mostly unchanged from its concept debut at the Geneva Motor Show last March.

Power comes from a new 6.6L V12 twin-turbo engine making 563-hp with a maximum torque of 575 lb-ft. 0 to 60 mph comes in just 4.7 seconds with a top-speed electronically governed at 155 mph. The engine is mated to a 8-speed ZF automatic gearbox. For those of you wondering, the Rolls-Royce Ghost manages an estimated fuel-economy of 17 mpg.

The Rolls-Royce Ghost will make its world debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show later this month and will be priced between €200,000 and €300,000 when it goes on sale. Buyers will have a choice of 12 exterior colors, each of which can be contrasted by an available Silver Satin bonnet.

2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost:

Press Release:

ROLLS-ROYCE GHOST

Autumn 2006, Paris motor show: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced that work had begun on a new model series. The new car would be in production and on sale by the turn of the decade. The only other facts confirmed at that stage were that it would be smaller than the Phantom saloon and priced somewhere between €200,000 and €300,000 before tax. Speculation about its style and specification began almost immediately…

Little was seen of the new car, codenamed RR4, until the spring of 2008, when Rolls-Royce released the first official sketches. The styling was instantly recognisable as a Rolls-Royce, although less traditional than previous models. At the time Chief Designer, Ian Cameron, said, “The RR4 has a more informal presence than the Phantom models with a greater emphasis on driving. In design terms this is expressed through its slightly smaller dimensions, yet with powerful, purposeful proportions. It is a true and uncompromising Rolls-Royce in every sense.”

As sightings of secret development models on the road increased, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars unveiled 200EX, the experimental forerunner to Ghost, at the Geneva motor show in March 2009. An instant hit, 200EX bore the trademark Rolls-Royce design cues but in altogether more compelling fashion. It was a clear statement of intent.

What the design team was seeking to create was a modern Rolls-Royce that achieved a new dynamism but remained true to its luxurious heritage. They had found inspiration in contemporary furniture, architecture and yachts but also in the spirit of the 1930s – that sense of adventure and endeavour – which they wanted to capture in the character of this new car.

“200EX is a modern execution of timeless Rolls-Royce elegance, breaking with some areas of tradition but retaining the core values that make our marque unique,” said Chief Executive Officer Tom Purves. “We expect the more informal design to broaden the appeal of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, attracting people who appreciate its fusion of refinement, new technology and contemporary style.”

After the show, 200EX embarked on a world tour, during which further information about the forthcoming production model became available. It would be powered by a new 6.6 litre V12 unique to the marque, delivering 563 bhp with extraordinary performance figures. It would ride on an intelligent air suspension system offering peerless ride and dynamics. And it would be called Ghost.

“Ghost is one of the most revered names in automotive industry,” said Tom Purves. “It evokes images of adventure and technical innovation. The first cars to bear the Ghost name were known not only for impressive dependability and refinement but also great flair and style.”

Following the overwhelmingly positive reaction to 200EX during its travels, very few changes were made in the transition to the production Ghost – a tribute to the remarkable achievements of Ian Cameron’s and Helmut Riedl’s design and engineering teams.

In September 2009, the new Rolls-Royce Ghost was formally launched to the world.

The company says the Rolls-Royce 200EX is a design study for a contemporary 4-door sedan that shows the direction for the Ghost, a new model series that enters production in 2009.

2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost Preliminary Specifications

The Basics

Vehicle Type: premium large car

Drivetrain (CG estimates)

Drive wheels: rear

Engine: 6.6-liter V12

Horsepower: 500

Torque: 500 lb-ft

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Dimensions (CG estimates)

Wheelbase: 129.7 inches

Length: 212.6 inches

Width: 76.7 inches

Height: 61.0 inches

Base curb weight: 5,150 pounds

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Hyundai no longer the Dangerfield of cars

After years of fighting for respect, the Genesis Coupe may do the trick

After two decades of offering shoddy, disappointing, and short-lived cars in the U.S., Hyundai is finding it an uphill battle to convince consumers that its products really are good now.

Quality scores have soared and hands-on tests of Hyundai models introduced in the last five years have been worlds apart from earlier tests, but consumers remain skeptical — and it is hard to blame them.

What the company needs is a new product that embodies improved quality, but also one that appeals to a customer for whom product features are more important than brand image or historical reliability. What it needs is a product targeting a group so determined that it would make excuses about the unreliability of Italian sports cars or rationalize the inability of British sports cars to keep the rain off their heads.

Hyundai has recently demonstrated an impressive dedication to product quality, both in terms of durability of construction and product usability, and the company has seen its quality ratings climb correspondingly. But earlier in this decade, it was Hyundai’s strategy to engage in spec-sheet competition, listing all the check-off boxes it could for each product. This is the approach employed by bored 14-year-old Internet flame warriors arguing the automotive version of whether Batman could beat Superman in a fight.

While the specs provide ammunition to geeks who send scathing e-mails arguing with those who actually drive the cars and have some basis in fact for rating them, they prove to be largely irrelevant in the real world.

What good was having a Hyundai V6 engine if Honda’s four-cylinder was smoother, quieter and more powerful at the time? So when Hyundai announced the Genesis Coupe, with powerful engines, modest curb weight and rear drive, the specifications had to be viewed with a hopeful skepticism. Fortunately the company’s new dedication to quality has produced exactly the kind of sport coupe enthusiasts would hope for.

Product summary

The good:With excellent handling and a powerful, efficient engine, the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track thrills while coming in at a very affordable price. IPod connectivity is standard, and the Infinity audio system sounds incredible.

The bad:Navigation isn't currently available for the Genesis Coupe, although Hyundai might make it available later this year. The iPod interface is difficult to use.

The bottom line:You would be hard-pressed to find a better everyday sports car at the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track's price. Excellent audio features are just icing on the cake.

Specifications

• Manufacturer:Hyundai Motor Company
• Part Number:101147010

Basic car properties

• Body styleCoupe
• Available EngineGas

Safety Features

• Smart airbagsStandard
• Antilock brakesStandard
• Traction controlStandard
• Stability controlStandard
• Roadside assistanceStandard
• Adaptive cruise controlStandard

Entertainment

• Satellite radioStandard
• Connection for portable MP3 sound systemStandard
• MP3 CD-enabled sound systemStandard
• USB connectionStandard

Climate/convenience

• Keyless startStandard
• Two-way security systemStandard
• 12V power outletStandard

Drivetrain Technology

• Drivetrain availableRear-drive

Navigation

• Trip computerStandard
• Live traffic dataStandard

Communication

• Bluetooth phone interface Standard
• Home automation integrationStandard

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US ARMY COULD USE FLYING CARS

Jetsons to Afghanistan: flying car is US Army's future says, er, flying car company...

A Skycar. Not in army camouflage...

With the US Army struggling with the unique technological challenge presented by Afghanistan's tough terrain, there's plenty of ground to be made by an opportunistic and ambitious company. Enter the Moller Skycar. Resembling something that wouldn't look out of the place on the Jetsons this is, apparently, the answer to the US military's mobility problems. So says Moller, at least.

Taking the ethos of 'why drive on it when you can fly over it', the Moller Skycar "provides a more cost effective, highly maneuverable, lethal and safe platform for the 21st century soldier," according to the US Army's Lieutenant Colonel James Thomas, in a recently released white paper entitled 'Winning an Asymmetric War with Skycars.'

As the lieutenant rather observantly put it 'Afgahnistan is not Iraq' and the unique challenges it presents would be well suited to the Skycar, which combines the vertical take-off and landing capabilities of a helicopter, with the speed of a conventional prop aircraft, while also providing 'limited' on-road ability.

Lt Col Thomas isn't the only one praising the long-awaited Skycar. Moller tells us that, in an article titled 'A Revolutionary Vehicle for the Future', Colonel Larry Harman, then Vice Director of the Combat Service Support Battle Laboratory at Fort Lee, Virginia discusses the Skycar's military version.

"Without any doubt, this technological innovation will succeed internationally in the private, commercial, and military sectors," says Colonel Harman. "I hope that the US Army will be the first army in the world to embrace and exploit this technology. But sooner rather than later, this aerial vehicle technology will affect all of our lives. It is just over the horizon."

The Skycar is powered by ethanol-burning rotary engines which combine both power and efficiency (we'll believe that when we see it - it's something Mazda has yet to master), while emitting exhausts that are sometimes cleaner than the surrounding air, which should prove reassuring when the surrounding air is shooting at you.

Despite all these advantages, you are unlikely to see the Skycar over a battlefield near you anytime soon, as there's no indication that the Skycar, or its engines, will go into production.

And take the whole thing with a healthy pinch of salt. Moller has been in the process of creating the Skycar for more than 20 years, and the source of most of these quotes is, er, Moller...

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Volkswagen forces Porsche to kill the Cayenne And Panamera

Now that Volkswagen AG is set to buy 49 percent of porsche AG, we’re going to see some major changes in Porsche’s product lineup.

According to report by UK’s CAR Magazine, Volkswagen will end up killing the Porsche Cayenne SUV - and even more surprisingly - the recently introduced Panamera four-door sedan. The report says that Porsche will eventually be forced to discontinue the Cayenne and the Panamera after their product cycles are complete seven years from now.

“VW Group has plenty of SUVs and saloons [sedans] — it doesn’t need Porsche to build them,” says the report.

While that may be music to the ears of true Porsche lovers, under Ferdinand Piech Porsche will be sharing at least one platform with a future Volkswagen. Think along the lines of the production Bluesport Concept.

2010 Porsche Panamera:

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