Rolls-Royce Phantom Electric Vehicle production unlikely

Earlier this year, Goodwood-based luxury automaker Rolls Royce unveiled an experimental electric vehicle built atop of the Phantom platform.

The one-off 102EX serves as a test bed to gather data which will be crucial in future decisions around electric models going into production. And the first feedback is in. According to Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes in an interview for Auto News, customers have had mixed feelings about potential electric versions of the automaker’s vehicles. Mueller-Oetvoes also said that buyers of the $380,000 Phantom and $245,000 Ghost models often live on the outskirts of major cities and may not accept an electric car’s 100-mile range.

Furthermore, the company has said it has no plans at present to produce EVs.

Ever since its unveiling at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the Phantom 102EX was part of a global tour, allowing owners and enthusiasts to test drive the EV and provide feedback. No customers have approached the automaker to ask for electric versions of the cars, which now feature 12-cylinder engines, Mueller-Oetvoes said for Auto News.

The long-time rumored Rolls Royce hybrid might be an option for production due to their capability to deliver both electric driving combined with a combustion engine.

In  the Phantom 102EX, engineers replaced the 6.75-liter V-12 with a massive 71-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery housed within the aluminum spaceframe. Rolls-Royce is using large-form NCM pouch cells, or lithium-nickel-cobalt-manganese-oxide to be exact. Due to its experimental nature, the 96 cells are separated into 5 modules (38-, 36-, 10-, 8-, and 4-cell units) and arranged in such a way that the overall battery takes on the shape of an engine and transmission. The battery weighs 1,411 pounds.

The battery outputs 850 amperes at 338 volts to two electric motors linked to a rear transaxle. The single-speed gearbox takes each motor’s 145 kilowatts (194 horsepower) and sends up to 388 horsepower to the rear wheels. Given its electric nature, the two motors will have up 590 combined pound-feet of torque on demand. The 0-60 mph time is quoted as being under 8 seconds, and there’s a governed top speed of just under 100 mph. A quite impressive performance for such a massive vehicle, around 3,000 kilograms.

The driving range is said to be up to 124 miles. In order to charge the battery, a three-phase charger would need 8 hours, while a single-phase (presumably 220/240V) would take 20 hours.-bmwblog.com

2012 Beetle RS Project-Stage I by VWvortex

After just a few months from the major release of Volkswagen Beetle on three continents, some of the tuners have got hold of it, giving a look that resembles a bit to the Porsche GT3 RS.

It is VWvortex who have turned this 2012 vehicle into Beetle RS project - Stage I, as they have named it.

Well, this is somewhat like a cosmetic project rather than calling it a performance upgrading project.

However, there is a specific reason of calling this project a cosmetic one, because the team of tuners could only get a chance to work on a preproduction autoshow car. Despite upgrading its turbocharged kit, the car will receive a hot look without any registration, airbags or plates. This car cannot be driven and so there is no need of finishing it and moving so far with pace.

Well, this is not just the reason; another reason also lies behind that says it is a rush-job. The tuners cannot simply take their own time. They just have 2.5 weeks time to finish their creation before Volkswagen releases vehicles to its dealers this week. In limited time they have to finish this job so that they could get an idea of how much the tuning world possesses potential and what they can do with this 2012 Volkswagen Beetle.

After grabbing the idea of GT3 RS Beetle, VWvortex looked after the 35 offset VMR710 20″ x 9″ wheels from Porsche, which were finished in orange and were covered in Continental ExtremeContact DW 245-35ZR20 tires.

Next step was of installing a set of H&R standard Golf/GTI 6 suspension in the 2012 Beetle. They have also fitted a Borla exhaust that assured no further alterations required except the slight extension which was needed since the Beetle was a bit longer at rear.-inautonews.com

RALLY DE NOUVELLE CALEDONIE PREVIEW

 

The third round of the APRC starts from the capital of New Caledonian, Noumea on Friday (June 17) afternoon. Scotsman McRae spearheads PROTON’s challenge, arriving on the south-west Pacific island second in the title race, with Atkinson (Australia) two places behind him.

PROTON dominated the opening APRC round of the series, at home in Malaysia, and looked like repeating that performance on the second event in Queensland, Australia, before dropping back from the front of the field. PROTON’s Satria Neo S2000 does, however, remain the class of this year’s APRC field with more fastest times than any other manufacturer.

The fast and flowing stages on next week’s rally will suit the PROTON’s ever-improving power and driveability, empowering McRae and Atkinson to carry the fight to their rivals on what has to be one of the most picturesque rallies in the world.

Sitting 750 miles east of Australia and 900 miles north-west of New Zealand, the action takes place on the Grande Terre, the largest island in the archipelago. The mountainous nature of this 6,300-square metre island mean rain is always a possibility. While the event takes place in the southern hemisphere’s winter, temperatures are still expected around 20 degrees.

The stages offer a stunning mix of inland roads through the forests and rich vegetation and the coastline roads, where one mistake could provide man and machine with a closer-than-expected glimpse of the South Pacific.

McRae and Atkinson will test their PROTONs in New Caledonia on Tuesday, when they will focus on finding the perfect set-up for the 19-stage event.

Quotes:

Chris Atkinson said: 
“We’ve led the first two – and won the first round – of the championship, so we know we’ve got the pace to be at the front of the field. I was really impressed with what the team had done with the car, just between Malaysia and Queensland, the engine was great, but then we had a few issues. The team have worked really hard to get those things sorted and you could see from the pace on the last intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) round how close the car is to the other factory S2000s; we’re very close with this car now. I’ve done the rally in New Caledonia once before and I remember fast and narrow roads which will suit our car. I’m really looking forward to getting back in the car and showing what PROTON can do again.”

Alister McRae said: 
“There’s always something really interesting about going to a new place and a new rally and that’s the case for me in New Caledonia. I’ve heard plenty about it, but I’m really looking forward to seeing the roads. I’ve heard it’s a mixture of Queensland and New Zealand, which should be good for us and the PROTON: both of those events suit the Super 2000 car. I’ve watched some in-car from previous years and it looks as though the surface is quite clay-like, which will get very slippery if it gets wet. We’re looking for a good result from this event; we’re looking for a win. The [Asia-Pacific Rally] Championship is still wide open and we really want a result to put the disappointment of Queensland behind us – and to get us to the top of the table. I think everybody can see the potential of the Satria Neo S2000 now, the pace is very impressive – and we’re out to demonstrate that pace in a new part of the world next week.”

Chris Mellors (team principal) said: 
“We know we’ve got the speed to win this rally. We have addressed the issues we had in Australia and we’re happy, very happy with the way the car’s running ahead of New Caledonia. The team has competed on this event before and we have a very good idea of where we’re going with the car set-up. We’re quietly confident of a good result – a repeat of the first and third we took in Malaysia would be nice.”-rallye-info.com

Event data: 
Round: 3/6, FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship
Based: Noumea, New Caledonia
Stages: 19
Liaison distance: 387.41km
Competitive distance: 223.73km
Total distance: 611.14km
Shakedown: Noumea (Friday June 17, 0730-1030)
Pre-event press conference: Ramada Hotel, Noumea (Friday June 17, 1030)
Post-event press conference: Finish podium, Noumea (Sunday June 19, 1600)
Time difference: Malaysia is GMT+11hrs

Event timetable:

Friday June 17
SS1 Nouville 1 (2.67km) 1223
SS2 Plaine 1 (3.78km) 1236
SS3 Nouville 2 (2.67km) 1514
SS4 Plaine 2 (3.78km) 1527

Saturday June 18
SS5 Calmines Mkm 1 (24.10km) 0743
SS6 Champs de Bataille Almameto 1 (10.35km) 0836
SS7 Penamax Pierre Clavel 1 (8.55km) 0909
Service – Prony 0929
SS8 Calmines Mkm 2 (24.10km) 1052
SS9 Champs de Bataille Almameto 2 (10.35km) 1145
SS10 Penamax Pierre Clavel 2 (8.55km) 1218
Service – Prony 1238
SS11 Calmines Mkm 3 (24.10km) 1401
SS12 Champs de Bataille Almameto 3 (10.35km) 1454
SS13 Penamax Pierre Clavel 3 (8.55km) 1527
Service – Prony 1547

Sunday June 19
SS14 Tabou Pierre Clavel 1 (8.57km) 0748
SS15 Touongo Almameto 1 (10.33km) 0811
SS16 Pirogues Mkm 1 (14.26km) 0844
Service – Prony 0942
SS17 Touongo Almameto 2 (10.33km) 1047
SS18 Pirogues Mkm 2 (14.26km) 1120
SS19 Plaine 3 (3.78km) 1343
Finish – Anse Kuendu 1358

The 2011 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally ChampionshipMalaysian Rally (April 1-3)
International Rally of Queensland (May 13-15)
Rally de Nouvelle Caledonie (June 17-19)
Rally of Whangarei (July 16-17)
Rally Hokkaido (September 30-October 2)
China Rally Longyou (November 4-6)

Videos: 2012 BMW 1 Series in Mineral Blue

2012 BMW 1 Series coverage continues with new videos. The recent footage shows the F20 1er in the beautiful Mineral Blue color.

Along with a variety of new options, the 2012 BMW 1Series comes with a large array of exterior colors: Black Sapphire, Alpine White, Crimson Red, Mineral Gray, Midnight Blue, Deep Sea blue, Glacier Silver, Mineral White, Liquid Blue, Valencia Orange. BMW will offer again the Estoril Blue paint with the M Sport package available in the fall.

The F20 1 Series goes on sale this fall preceded by a public debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The US market will most likely not going to receive the hatch variant and customers will have to wait for the redesigned coupe and convertible arriving in 2013.-bmwblog.com

Unimog 4WD Cabrio truck concept celebrates 60 years of Mercedes ownership

It may look like one of the most outrageous automotive concepts seen in many a year, but the Unimog 4WD Cabrio Truck concept created to celebrate 60 years of Mercedes Benz Unimog production actually has some basis in history - the very first Mercedes Unimog which rolled off the production line back on June 3, 1951 was also a cabrio, and it was also green, as has been almost every other Unimog in the intervening years. Based on the current Unimog U 5000 with its exceptional off-road capabilities, the Unimog Cabrio is apparently designed to bridge current and future Unimog design.

The concept is the work of the Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks Unit which produces the Unimog, Econic and Zetros truck ranges, and the design was presented at a ceremony celebrating 60 years of Mercedes-Benz Unimog production on June 3 at the Daimler plant in Wörth where Unimogs are made.

While not exactly a prototype for a future product range, the Cabrio's press blurb claims "some of its details will turn up in coming product ranges."

"We have taken the Unimog-DNA with its unique concept features to 100 percent into consideration when creating this design concept," said Bertrand Janssen from the Daimler department for commercial vehicle design. "Furthermore, this design concept gives the observer sufficient room for thought to interpret its technical innovations."-gizmag.com