Rolls Royce SUV

Rolls-Royce is developing an SUV. Or, as Britain’s plushest car manufacturer would prefer it, a new model that can “cross any terrain”. That ought to be anything from a Waitrose car park to the gravel driveway of your out-of-town manor.

We jest, of course. This is a car that makes perfect sense for Rolls, with the luxury car market increasingly revolving around 4x4s and crossovers. Just look at the Range Rover SVA and Bentley Bentayga.

So what, at this moment, do we know about the Rolls-Royce take on the genre?

It’s a response to customer demand

“Many discerning customers have urged us to develop this car,” read an open letter published by Rolls-Royce in February 2015. And there have certainly been suggestions from within Rolls that there was no hasty decision about meeting that demand.

“The question is, does it fit to the Rolls-Royce brand?” board member Peter Schwarzenbauer said in 2014. “They had the same discussions at BMW before they made the first X5. No doubt at Porsche before the Cayenne too.”

It will keep with “the greatest traditions” of Rolls-Royce

“Rolls-Royces conveyed pioneers and adventurers like Lawrence of Arabia across the vastness of unexplored deserts and over mountain ranges,” continued that open letter. “We are creating a motor car in the greatest traditions of our marque.”

It has promised a car that’s “as much about the pioneering, adventurous spirit of Charles Rolls as it is about Sir Henry Royce’s dedication to engineering and innovation.”

But beyond such sentimentalism, we can expect the poshest SUV around, a “magic carpet” ride and exclusivity by the bucket load. Which means…

It will be expensive

While a Macan offers a friendlier way into a Porsche than a 911 does, don’t expect the Rolls SUV to do the same in its respective range. Nope. You’ll need at least £250,000 for one, we reckon, but you’ll be buying into an exclusive club.

Big cars like this may have swelled other carmakers’ profits, but Rolls is determined to keep its sales controlled to keep its customers happy, just like Ferrari.

“Our strategy is that we will never offer a car priced lower than Ghost”, Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös told TG last year. “We want to keep exclusivity very high. I think it’s exactly right what [Ferrari] did. They were limiting themselves to certain numbers.

“A luxury brand should not be for volume, it should always be for profit. And that’s exactly the target I’m getting from the BMW group. We are not in the volume business, rest assured.”

A jacked-up Phantom is trialling its AWD

You may have guessed that from the pictures above. But fear not, aesthetes, for Rolls-Royce says this: “The body may hint at the size of the new car, but it features no design aspects of the eventual high-sided, all-terrain motor car.”

The SUV will be shorter in length and taller in height than the Phantom. Expect a prominent grille sprouting a Spirit of Ecstasy, as well as other familiar Rolls flourishes. But no fixed rear wing. If that makes production, well eat our homburg.

And the four-wheel-drive system? It will work with a new suspension system to deliver a ride that is “effortless, everywhere” according to Rolls. “The customer will experience the same unrivalled ride quality on loose surfaces and challenging terrain as they do on the road today.”

You’d expect nothing less. But how many owners will take them onto challenging terrain?

It’ll likely come with a V12 engine

And we’d expect something north of 500bhp. But there could also be a plug-in hybrid, too. Rolls-Royce is certainly open to welcoming new technologies. Back to Peter Schwarzenbauer: “Fully electric is not viable for a Rolls-Royce now. But plug-in hybrid is a technology we have to look at. In future more and more cities will have zero-emission zones, so a Rolls-Royce will need 20-30 miles of electric range.”

Autonomous driving is possible, too, but RR’s arms are a little less welcoming. Over to Torsten Müller-Ötvös: “We have invented that already 111 years ago with the chauffeur behind the wheel!

“But I would never say never, as in principle it would fit perfectly with Rolls-Royce. Once that technology is right for the market and is proven, I would say ‘yes, sure’.”

It’s called Project Cullinan. For now

And if you’re wondering, Cullinan is the name of a “’gem-quality diamond’, which itself took the name of the man who discovered it, Sir Thomas Cullinan.

What chance the production car using this name? Given Rolls’s pattern for naming its cars after ghostly beings, we’d imagine something better in keeping with tradition is likely. Apparition? Poltergeist? Ethereal Being? Um, probably none of those, to be honest…

Rolls-Royce Wraith

 Purists will condemn Rolls' decision to break a few of its few trademarks and create their latest offering, the Wraith, but this is only the product of its initiative to be more desirable to the young lot of rich customers. Until now, no Rolls was keenly associated with the words 'adventure' and 'sporty'. But the Wraith strives to be just that, what with its coupe-ish profile and an engine that Rolls-Royce states is the most powerful they have ever put in a production car. 

For $3,25,000, you get a car with a slightly sporty character from the manufacturers of some of the most luxurious cars out there. Under the hood, there's a 6.6 litre V12 petrol engine producing 624 bhp, more than enough to push around the over two tonne luxury barge with gusto.

On 18 January 2013, calling it the "car Charles Rolls would choose to drive", Rolls-Royce announced the Wraith as a model that would "indulge a passion for innovation, engineering and adventure". Its chassis design was created by a serbian designer, Pavle Trpinac It has been reported that this will be the fastest and most luxurious British car to be built by Rolls-Royce.

A four-seat coupé based on the chassis of the Rolls-Royce Ghost, the vehicle was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show on 5 March 2013. Deliveries are expected from September 2013.

In anticipation of the unveiling, Rolls-Royce had created a series of pre-promotional animated media for the Wraith.

The new Wraith is defined by "bold lines, tension in the panels and a raked rear screen" — features that offer it a unique character. The model will be immediately recognized as a Rolls Royce, thanks to its deeply recessed grille, wide rear track and, of course, the dramatic two-tone colorization offered for the exterior.

Rolls-Royce also makes the Phantom, Phantom coupe and the the Ghost. 

Also, there's a convertible Wraith in the making too. 

Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé is a British handmade (except chassis) luxury coupe manufactured by Rolls-Royce that debuted at the 2008 Geneva International Auto Show in Geneva, Switzerland, on 6 March 2008.The platform is based on the 2003 Rolls-Royce Phantom and has styling heavily derived from the Rolls-Royce 100EX, a concept car unveiled to celebrate the company's centennial in 2004. Its interior includes leather and wood veneer. There is a button to close the "coach doors". The Phantom Coupe has the same 6.75 litre V12 as found in the other Phantom models, developing 338 kW (453 bhp) of power and 720 N·m (531 lb·ft) of torque.

It is based on the Rolls Royce Phantom saloon . 

Specification

The Phantom Coupé is powered by a 6.75 L V12 ;9.0 L V16 engine, that produces 453 horsepower, 531 pound-feet of torque -- with nearly 400 lb-ft, or 75 percent, available at just 1,000 rpm -- and has segment-leading fuel economy thanks to modern technology such as direct injection and variable valve and camshaft control. The car features reverse-opening power-closing doors, adaptive suspension with automatic four-corner leveling, 21-inch alloy wheels, a 15-speaker 420 watt sound system with navigation, and a handcrafted interior with flawless leather trim and a choice of wood veneers. The "picnic" trunk provides a seating platform for two and offers easy access to the luggage compartment. Optional equipment includes front and rear parking cameras and a wide array of paint colors and interior trim material choices. A unique option is a full-length "starlight" headliner, which incorporates hundreds of tiny fibre optics to give the impression of a star-filled night sky.

Performance

The Phantom Coupé is capable to reach from 0-60mph (0-97km/h) in 5.8 seconds and have a top speed of 155mph (249km/h), with a fuel consumption in combined cycle (ECE+EUDC) 11 L/100 km (12mpg-US) while producing 377g/km of CO2.

Reception

The Phantom Coupé was received most positive review from the critics, British famous television show Top Gear rated the car 9/10 on it's performance, 10/10 of it's quality, 9/10 on it's design, but criticized it's expensive pricing as it costs over £300,000. As part of the luxury convertible auto-mobile's market, The Phantom Coupé finding very few competitors offering such a unique combination of size, power and luxury, it's main competitor were Bentley Continental GT, Bentley Mulsanne or Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG.

In The Media

The Phantom Coupé was featured in the 2011 British film Johnny English Reborn starring comedian Rowan Atkinson. In the film, the car features the 9.0-litre V16 engine found in the Rolls-Royce 100EX concept car, a voice recognition drive system and a laser system projected from the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament.

Rolls Royce Ghost

The Rolls-Royce Ghost is a luxury saloon from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. The "Ghost" nameplate, named in honour of the Silver Ghost, a car first produced in 1906, was announced in April 2009 at the Auto Shanghai show. During development, the Ghost was known as the "RR04." Designed as a smaller, "more measured, more realistic car" than the Rolls Royce Phantom, aiming for a lower price category for Rolls-Royce models, the retail price is around £170,000 (US$255,000). The production model was officially unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. The 17 cm longer option Ghost Extended Wheelbase was introduced 2011. Parked next to a Rolls Royce Phantom, even if the latter steals most of the spotlight, it still commands a respect and attention of its own.

It belongs to the elite segment of ultra-posh cars with extravagant prices for the decades of heritage and dollops of luxury that they offer. The Ghost's main competition, according to Rolls Royce, is supposed to be the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, even though it costs as much as the larger Bentley Mulsanne. 

200EX concept

Rolls-Royce 200EX.

Rear with the door open.

The original concept car, named the 200EX, was officially unveiled at the March 2009 Geneva Motor Show, indicating the styling direction of the production model Ghost.

Unlike the aluminum-bodied Phantom, the 200EX was made from steel, which has a higher tensile strength and can therefore be made thinner. The chassis used an intelligent four corner air suspension system and multi-link aluminium front and rear axles. Systems such as Active Roll Stabilisation, four corner air springs and Variable Damping Control operate as one, imperceptibly, to provide the best possible comfort for occupants. Connected to the main computer, the suspension is able to detect the movement of a single rear passenger from one side of the seat to the other, and compensates accordingly.

Design

The Ghost was designed by Andreas Thurner and engineered by Helmut Riedl, who led the development of the larger Rolls-Royce Phantom. The Ghost, codenamed RR04 during its design phase, was developed to compete with vehicles significantly less expensive than the Phantom, such as the Bentley Continental Flying Spur.

The car is based on a heavily modified platform shared with BMW’s latest 7-Series, called the F01 platform. The company concedes that 20% of parts are common to both cars. The Ghost has a 129.7 inches (3,290 mm) wheelbase, roof height, bonnet height and track widths all of its own, and the Ghost uses Phantom-style air springs. The car also shares the FlexRay electronic system with its larger stablemate. The car weighs 5,445 pounds (2,470 kg) at the curbside.

Like other current Rolls-Royce models, the Ghost uses parent company BMW's iDrive user interface; unlike the Phantom series, the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament along with more functions, are controlled using the system.

Engine

A rear "coach door" on a 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost.

The engine is a bored and stroked version of BMW's N74 6.0L twin-turbocharged (twin-scroll) V12, now displacing 6.6 litres, featuring BMW's VANOS variable valve timing, high-precision direct fuel injection, and valvetronic; and generates 563 bhp (420 kW) producing 780 newton metres (580 lbf·ft) torque, with ZF 8-speed automatic transmission. The engine allows the Ghost to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 4.7 seconds, which is bloody fast, especially considering that a full-on super car like an Aston Martin Vantage takes just a tenth of a second less to get there.  It has an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h).

Manufacturing

The Rolls-Royce Ghost is built on its own dedicated production line at the Goodwood plant, sharing paint, wood and leather workshops with the Phantom series.

Mansory version

In mid-2010 Mansory introduced its own tuning version, named White Ghost Limited. Apart from exterior changes, its engine has 630 bhp (470 kW), resulting acceleration from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 4.5 seconds with top speed of 290 kilometres per hour (180 mph).

Rolls Royce Phantom

The Rolls-Royce Phantom is a saloon automobile made in the United Kingdom by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, a BMW subsidiary. It was launched in 2003 and is the first model introduced during the BMW era. The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé, and the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé, are both based on the 2003 Phantom. It also won the Top Gear Car of the Year Award for 2003. Rolls Royce also manufactures the 'cheaper' Ghost.  It's competition includes that with the Bentley Mulsanne and the Maybach 57/62.

Construction

V12 engine of a 2008 Phantom

The Phantom uses a unique chassis platform, body, interior, and retains traditional Rolls-Royce design cues. The body is mostly aluminium.

Final assembly, including all body, paint, wood, and leather work, is completed to each customer's individual specification at the Rolls-Royce plant in Goodwood, West Sussex. The plant is close to the historic Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit.

The plant contains the paint shop, body shop, leather shop, woodworking shop, assembly line, and executive offices under one roof. There are only three robots in the factory. The robots paint the body; the paint is polished by hand after the robots spray each coat. The coachlines, which are exactly 3 mm (0.1 in) wide, are done, as well as all other work, by hand, in keeping with the Rolls-Royce tradition.

It has a 6.75 litre, 48-valve, V12 engine that produces 453 bhp (338 kW; 459 PS) and 720 N·m (530 lb·ft) of torque. The engine is derived from BMW's N73 V12 powerplant and is assembled by BMW. It uses direct fuel injection, and is a drive by wire design, using valvetronic technology. The power output is regulated by infinitely varying valve lift by moving the rockers and rocker fulcrums via electric servos, rather than using the throttle body. The throttle body is maintained for fail-safe operation.

The aluminium extrusions that are used to construct the aluminium spaceframe are produced in Norway using hydroelectric power, shaped and machined in Denmark and finally hand-welded in Germany.

It is 1.63 m (64.2 in) tall, 1.99 m (78.3 in) wide, 5.83 m (229.5 in) long, and weighs 2,485 kg (5,478 lb). The body of the car is built on an aluminium space frame and the Phantom can accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.7 s and to 300 km/h (186 mph) in 60 s. It has a six-speed automatic transmission and double wishbone suspension. The transmission is sourced from ZF of Germany. The vehicle electronics are sourced from BMW.

BMW originally intended to use a 9.0L V16 engine in the Phantom, as they wanted the ultimate engine for the ultimate luxury car of the 21st century. BMW designed and developed several examples of the V16, but at the last moment BMW decided use a more economical V12 engine. The engine can be seen in the concept Rolls-Royce 100EX. A V16 model Phantom was used in the film Johnny English Reborn at the specific request of Rowan Atkinson.

An extended wheelbase Phantom was presented in March 2005 at the Geneva Motor Show, which is 250 mm (9.8 in) longer than the standard Phantom. It is currently referred to as the Phantom Extended Wheelbase (or EWB).

A Rolls-Royce Phantom owned by the Sultan of Kedah, Abdul Halim of Kedah

Novel features

• Customers can choose from 44,000 paint colours, and specify any leather colour.
• Car has a power reserve dial indicating how much of the engine's power is left available to the driver. The instrument cluster is not shared with any other vehicle. Doors are remote operated.
• The rear doors are rear-hinged, a style commonly referred to as suicide doors, but called 'coach doors' by Rolls-Royce. Because of the rear-seating position in relation to the rear inner-door handles, buttons are mounted on both C-pillars which operate hydraulic motors in order to close the rear doors. An electronic lock prevents the doors from being accidentally opened when moving. The car will automatically brake to a walking speed if a coach door remains open when driving off. The rear doors also house umbrellas that are stored within the doors, and can only be accessed when the front or rear doors are open. The fabric of the umbrella is coated with Teflon to assist in shedding water when the wet umbrella is stored within the door.
• The traditional Spirit of Ecstasy ornament has an automatic electronic retraction mechanism to prevent theft and protect pedestrians in the event of an accident. It may also be retracted by the driver at the touch of a button, and retracted when the alarm is armed. The base contains a sensor which detects movement, and will retract if tampered with.
• The 'RR' logos on each of the wheel hubs are independent bezels in order to always remain upright while the wheel is rotating.

Luxury amenities

A Phantom pictured in London in 2008

Features (as of 2009) include a navigation system with voice recognition, power sunroof, upgraded leather upholstery, rear-view camera, rear-seat DVD entertainment system, 26-speaker premium sound system, 8-disc CD changer, 18-way power front seats, 16-way power rear seats, heated and cooled cup holders, rear-seat tables, outside-temperature indicator, universal garage door opener, power tilt/telescopic heated wood and leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio, climate, and navigation controls, power open/close trunk lid, power closing doors, wireless headphones, iPod adapter, refrigerator, and air conditioning with 5-zone climate controls. There are extensive options available through the Rolls-Royce "Bespoke" programme through which the factory will create any reasonable option a customer asks for.

Safety recall

In October 2010, the Phantom was included in a recall involving cars with a V8 or V12 engine from BMW, because of the potential to develop a leak in the power braking system.

Drophead Coupé and Coupé

Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé is the latest convertible made by Rolls-Royce which debuted at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit,Michigan on 7 January 2007. The platform is based on the Rolls-Royce Phantom and has styling heavily derived from the 100EX concept car unveiled to celebrate the company's centennial in 2005.

Series 2: 2013-onwards

In May 2012, Rolls Royce announced the Series 2 car, to be available from the 2013 model year. Series 2, updated by team including Giles Taylor, will have a number of updated and improved features, including:

• Replacement of round lower light with complementary rectangular LED light
• One-piece stamped radiator grill
• New single-piece wheels
• New side-badge design
• Extended chrome detailing around the side window
• Highlighting capture strip on bottom of boot lid
• Redesigned rear bumper, now one-step over two step
• Integrated exhaust detailing, mirroring those on coupe
• Simplified dashboard, including enlarged 8 inches (200 mm) LED screen
• Improved systems rotary controller, through use of the system used on Ghost
• Simplified seat designs
• Improved audio, telecoms and connectivity systems
• New 8-speed gearbox

Sales

Annual sales

Year	Sales
2003	300
2004	792
2005	796
2006	805
2007	1,010
2008	1,212
Total	4,915

• The introductory base price was £250,000 in the United Kingdom and $300,000 in the United States.
• After selling 805 units in 2006, Rolls-Royce first met its annual sales target of 1,000 vehicles in 2007 (1,010 Phantoms sold, Drophead Coupé sales included).
• In 2004, Rolls-Royce was selling twice as many cars as its closest rival Maybach.
• The 2,000th car rolled out of the Goodwood factory in December 2005.
• In July 2006, Rolls Royce produced a limited edition run of 25 cars called the "Phantom Black"
• The 3,000th car rolled out of the Goodwood factory in March 2007.
• Rolls-Royce produced a limited edition run of 25 cars to commemorate the centenary of the Silver Ghost.
• The Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong has purchased a fleet of 14 extended wheelbase Phantoms to replace the Silver Spurs in the fleet, all painted in a special "Peninsula Green" and delivered in December 2006, making history for being the largest single order for the Phantom.
• Luxury Vodka maker Grey Goose and Rolls-Royce teamed up to create two customized limited-edition Rolls-Royce extended wheelbase Phantoms to help promote social responsibility while drinking.
• Rolls Royce released a special Tungsten edition Phantom which incorporated innovations featured in the EX101 Experimental Car.
• O'Gara Coach Company of Beverly Hills, California, sold 58 Phantoms and Drophead Coupes in 2007, accounting for 15% of Rolls-Royce sales in the USA and 6% worldwide.

The Next Generation

Rolls-Royce will replace the Phantom in 2016. This would mean a production time of 13 years.