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Rolls-Royce rolls out the ‘Year of the Dragon Collection’

January 4, 2012 at 3:26 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Rolls Royce

Rolls-Royce has announced its Year of the Dragon Collection, a commemorative offering Inspired by the legendary creature revered by the Chinese. Designed in England by the brand’s Bespoke Team, the Year of the Dragon Collection has been created to “celebrate the ultimate symbol of power, prosperity and good fortune”. By the way, the Chinese Year of the Dragon starts from 23 January.

On first glimpse of the Dragon RR, a prominent feature is the twin coachline with a dragon, in gold colour, hand-painted to the side of each Phantom or Phantom Extended Wheelbase. In order to achieve perfect symmetry and balance, the dragon will always look forward. The hand-painted dragon coachline is inspired by the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Inside, the dragon is hand embroidered onto the interior leather of every headrest using a combination of four thread colours: Tan, Golden Sand, Black and White. The combination is designed to complement a pallette of recommended leather colour options and the design can be finished with additional seat piping. There are also two hand stitched cushions for the rear passengers, specified with embroidered contrast double R-R logos and piping.

All four door sills will feature exclusive red illuminated treadplates with Year of the Dragon 2012 highlighted with LED lighting. A dragon inlay will be hand laid to the passenger panel of every car in this unique collection. The Phantom model name is also applied in gold. Wood wise, modern or traditional marquetry matches the customer’s veneer choice, which is laser-cut and then hand assembled into position in the veneer.

Taukes who want to ride with dragons in the year of the dragon can place orders at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Kuala Lumpur, located along Jalan Semangat in Petaling Jaya.

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Rising demand: Rolls-Royce to expand Goodwood plant

September 19, 2011 at 9:32 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Rolls Royce

The number of mega rich people are rising, and the rich are getting richer! That’s why Rolls-Royce sold a record 2,711 units last year, and is currently on track to beat that 2010 figure this year. And in line with this rising demand for its ultra luxury cars, as well as more orders for highly personalised Ghosts and Phantoms, the BMW owned brand will be expanding its Goodwood plant.

The famous home of Rolls-Royce in West Sussex will see an increase in size by more than 2,500 square metres for the Assembly Hall. A new extension will also increase the Surface Finish Centre by more than 640 square metres. Total investment in the project will be about £10 million.

The new space, and some infrastructure changes, will allow the company’s manufacturing and Bespoke operation to expand significantly. This year, Rolls-Royce has seen a significant increase in demand for personalised bespoke models, and the company recently announced a doubling in the number of Bespoke experts. RR is also expanding its network, with several new dealerships recently launched in North America, Asia Pacific and Europe, with more coming in 2011.

Construction will commence later this year and will be completed in late 2012. We recently drove the battery powered Rolls-Royce 102EX, also known as the Phantom Experimental Electric. Click here to read the report.

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Rolling in electric – We drive the battery powered Rolls-Royce 102EX a.k.a. Phantom Experimental Electric!

August 31, 2011 at 8:26 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Feature Stories, Rolls Royce, Test Drive Reviews

Oil is a finite resource, something we cannot enjoy forever, certainly not at the rate the world is burning today. Downsizing is the “in thing” of the auto industry today, which is producing smaller, more frugal combustion engines alongside hybrid powertrains. What then is the future of a brand like Rolls-Royce, renowned for mega luxury cars with equally big V12s?

Back in February 2010, Rolls-Royce announced the birth of its 102EX, also known as the Phantom Experimental Electric. As its name suggests, the Phantom EE is a battery powered version of Goodwood’s flagship Phantom, built not to preview an upcoming production model, but to spark debate, and give us a glimpse of what could be the future.

Throughout 2011, the fully functioning and drivable Phantom EE will tour the world to give owners, VIPs, the media and enthusiasts the chance to experience an electric Rolls, gathering feedback for the company in the process. One fundamental question the Phantom EE poses is: Can an all-electric drivetrain deliver an authentic Rolls-Royce experience that customers expect, and an experience that befits the marque?

“After this program, Rolls-Royce will be in the position to make a more informed decision on its future,” Hal Serudin, Rolls-Royce Asia Pacific’s Corporate Communications Manager told us. Our neighbour Singapore, the nation with the highest concentration of millionaires in the world, was the first city on Rolls-Royce’s 102EX International Tour (China and USA are the next stops), and we were lucky to be among the first in the world to sample the electric Phantom, of which only one unit exists at present.

Continue reading after the jump.
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Rolls-Royce Ghost Extended Wheelbase coming in 2012

July 19, 2011 at 12:51 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Rolls Royce

There’s a new Rolls-Royce variant coming to town, and its the Ghost Extended Wheelbase (EWB) that was launched at Auto Shanghai earlier this year. RR personnel say that a year end launch in Malaysia is planned, with the first units expected to reach customers in Q1 2012. Production of the Ghost EWB starts this September in Goodwood, England.

As its name suggests, the Ghost EWB features an elongated wheelbase for more rear legroom and a revised standard spec sheet. The distance between the wheels has been stretched by 170 mm compared to the standard Ghost, resulting in minimum rear kneeroom (distance between the back of the front seat in its rearmost position and the front of the rear seat squab) increasing from 160 to 330 mm. It’s a substantial increase, as the pics below show.

The standard equipment list has been boosted to now include a panoramic sunroof, rear entertainment system and lamb’s wool carpets (the latter feels truly lovely), all previously on the options list. There are new alloys and slimmer wing mirrors, too.

Despite all that and the bigger body, we’re told that the weight increase in just 35 kilos. By the way, the Ghost is powered by a twin-turbo V12 with 563 hp and 780 Nm of torque.

In China, the EWB is about 20% costlier than the standard Ghost. In Singapore, where the Ghost is tagged at $998k, the EWB is expected to carry a price of $1.2 million.

In Malaysia, the standard Ghost is priced from RM2.6 million, so you do the +20% math. Bear in mind that some options on the SWB is standard on the EWB, though.

We previewed the car when it made a pit stop in Singapore. Gallery of live snaps after the jump.
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Rolls-Royce Motor Cars opens first showroom in Malaysia

May 20, 2011 at 4:56 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Rolls Royce

Rolls-Royce has officially opened its first showroom in Malaysia, one of only 81 dealerships in the world. Located along Jalan Semangat, Petaling Jaya, the showroom is part of the Quill 9 building and is owned by Quill Motorcars. Quill also has a BMW dealership in the same building.

If you’re wondering, yes, the showroom has been around for quite some time now – it was the venue of the Rolls-Royce Ghost preview we covered back in January 2010 – but it gets an official opening today with ribbon cutting by Deputy Minister of Finance Dato Donald Lim, Rolls-Royce Asia Pacific Regional Director Paul Harris and Group Executive Director of Quill Group Dato’ Michael Ong, among other VIPs.

The new 224 square metre showroom houses three Rolls-Royce cars and has a lounge that allows customers to configure their car using colour, wood and leather samples from RR’s manufacturing plant in Goodwood. When buying a Rolls-Royce, anything is possible.

Here’s a quote from Thomas Jefferson, Bespoke Sales and Communications Manager at RR: “We’re here to make your Rolls-Royce as unique as you are. You name it, we make it happen.”

Some of the bolder requests they’ve received include leather floors, illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy figurines, a Hermes roof interior and wait for this: veneers made from a tree grown in the customer’s estate! By the way, the options list already has 20 standard veneers and 25 bespoke veneers, so you’ll have to be the fussiest billionaire to require something else.

According to RR, every Phantom client is invited to witness the “marriage of the car to its engine” at Goodwood and receives a 72-page book charting the production of their unit.

We can’t possibly detail everything about RR customisation, so potential owners will have to pay the showroom a visit for the full shebang. The Rolls-Royce Ghost is priced from RM2.1 million while the Phantom family (Standard Wheelbase, Extended Wheelbase, Drophead Coupe, Coupe) is priced from RM3.3 million. Each new RR comes with a 4-year unlimited mileage warranty and 24-hour roadside assistance.

Click here to view live galleries of the Ghost and Phantom Drophead Coupe.

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Rolls-Royce Ghost Extended Wheelbase for China market

April 20, 2011 at 3:02 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, China, International News, Rolls Royce

Chinese bosses love legroom and want lots of it, which is why we see “L” versions of cars like the BMW 5-Series, Audi A6 and Volvo S80. But a long wheelbase version of the Rolls-Royce Ghost? Yes, it’s been launched at the ongoing Shanghai show with “Extended Wheelbase” as the name extension.

The Rolls-Royce Ghost Extended Wheelbase is the first ever RR to be launched in Asia, and there’s no prizes for predicting that it will be the best selling RR in China, where it will cost 5.118 million RMB, about 20% costlier than the standard Ghost.

For that premium, buyers get a 170 mm longer wheelbase and increased minimum rear kneeroom (distance between the back of the front seat in its rearmost position and the front of the rear seat’s squab) from 160 to 330 mm. In addition, a panoramic sunroof is standard. From the outside, the Ghost EWB has a new forged alloy wheel design.

But if they wanted a larger Rolls, isn’t there the Phantom? Autocar UK asked the same question, and here’s what RR CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos told them:

“For some of our customers, a Phantom is just too much: too big, too ostentatious, too formal, too expensive. The Ghost EWB is a car that’s more usable every day; the sort of car that you can be chauffeured in during the week, and still enjoy as a driver’s car at weekends. And that’s an increasingly popular usage pattern in developing Asian markets.”

More hi-res pics after the jump.
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MINI Inspired by Goodwood: Rolls-Royce limited edition

April 15, 2011 at 12:44 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Rolls Royce

Rolls-Royce is the ultimate in luxury, so a MINI blessed with the feel and smell of a Rolls should be a highly coveted luxe accessory with no lack of takers – it’s the perfect partner to that limited edition LV bag! Say hello to the MINI Inspired by Goodwood, a 1000 unit collaboration of the two BMW owned British brands that some say might be priced as high as £50,000.

This little dose of the good life from Goodwood comes with a bespoke cabin supervised by Rolls-Royce interior designer Alan Sheppard. Here, the standard MINI interior is covered with materials that Phantom and Ghost owners are familiar with, including walnut burr veneers on the instrument panel and door pulls, Corn Silk beige leather on the fascia, seats, centre console, door cards and pillar trim. Also check out those deep lambswool fleece carpets.

There’s more. The roof lining, sun visors and boot cover are not in standard fabric, but coated in a Rolls-Royce-spec cashmere blend. The instruments feature RR fonts. The standard colour is RR’s Diamond Black, but one can opt for Reef Blue metallic by MINI.

It’s based on the Cooper S, so you’ll get a twin scroll turbo 1.6L that makes 184 hp and 240 Nm of torque, or 260 Nm on overboost. Sorry, the Rolls-Royce V12 couldn’t fit!

Gallery after the jump.
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World’s largest Rolls-Royce showroom opens in UAE

March 29, 2011 at 1:52 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Rolls Royce

Well, you’d certainly expect it to be somewhere in the Middle East, I guess. For the trivia fans, the largest Rolls-Royce showroom in the world has opened in the Umm Al Nar area of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The new 900 sq m showroom provides space for displaying five Rolls-Royce motor cars, a coffee bar and a customer configuration lounge, which of course includes colour and trim samples. As expected, a new dedicated RR service facility is linked to the showroom.

The introduction of the showroom isn’t a surprise; the Middle East region continues to be an important driver in RR’ global growth, contributing over 15% of the company’s global sales in 2010. Out of 82 RR dealerships worldwide, eight of them happen to be in the Middle East.

The occasion was marked by the unveiling of a Spirit of Ecstasy Centenary Collection Phantom Drophead Coupé, one of the collection of 100 highly bespoke units built to mark the centenary of the Spirit of Ecstasy. Discerning collectors across the world, especially in the Middle East, have shown great interest in these unique cars. No surprise there either.

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Rolls-Royce 102EX – electric Phantom set for world tour

February 22, 2011 at 12:48 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Rolls Royce


Click to enlarge

Rolls-Royce has confirmed the development of 102EX, a one-off, fully electric powered Phantom that will debut at Geneva. 102EX will serve as a working test bed for a global tour that includes Europe, Middle East, Asia and North America, where RR owners will be given the chance to experience it and give feedback.

“We have engineered the world’s first battery electric vehicle for the ultra-luxury segment. With this vehicle, we begin an exploration into alternative drive-trains, seeking clarity on which alternative technologies may be suitable to drive Rolls-Royce motor cars of the future,” said CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös.

There are no plans yet to develop a production version though; as one of the company’s EX models it will serve to begin a dialogue with existing owners and stakeholders, which includes enthusiasts, members of the public and the media. The dialogue RR is seeking will be on the car’s ability to deliver an acceptable range between re-charges and to operate in extreme weather conditions.

Two more teaser images after the jump.
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Rolls Royce to showcase luxury customization in Paris

September 23, 2010 at 12:07 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, International News, Rolls Royce

The Paris Motor Show will be the place for Rolls Royce to showcase their extensive individualization programme. The company unlike most manufacturers, gives owners a little bit more to play with in terms of interior luxuries and the company will be showcasing just that in Paris.

Promoting this programme, the luxury brand has rolled out a bevy of models wearing their customized trinkets. This will include a Phantom Extended Wheelbase in Gunmetal metallic with Sunrise leather interior, a Carrara White metallic Phantom Drophead Coupé with Hotspur Red leather interior and a Phantom Coupe and two Ghost models.

Apart from the customized look, the Phantom Extended Wheelbase will feature a seat piping, mother of pearl centres to white instrument dials, control dials and clock face, Rolls-Royce monogram embroidery in all head restraints and personalized tread plates inscribed with Mondial de l’Automobile Paris 2010. Look after the jump for a picture gallery of the customized look.
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