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Rolls-Royce sketching out SUV for possible 'late 2017' release

With each new story on the Rolls-Royce SUV, the Goodwood automaker comes off as more at ease with their reluctantly birthed yet necessary sport ute. Company design chief Giles Taylor told Autocar that his team is still "sketching to assess the viability of the concept," which to ours ears means they're trying to figure out if such a beast is even possible within the confines of the brand. If it is, Taylor says it will be "a shooting brake, not a crossover with a sloping roof. A proper SUV."
A different company source, unnamed, seems confident that Taylor's team will figure it out, telling the magazine it would start at 200,000 pounds ($335K US). However, that same source said the vehicle will be "a kind of Mercedes-GLK-plus-plus," which is a baffling description in several ways. More reasonable is the speculation that it will ride on Ghost, not Phantom, architecture and make its debut sometime around late 2017.
That Ghost platform is expected to take cues from the carbon, aluminum and steel bones that supported the BMW Vision Future Luxury concept shown at the Beijing Motor Show and destined for the 9 Series. Some of those tricks will also go into the next-generation Phantom, which Autocar says will come in 2017 and not 2020.

BMW Group announces an armada of EVs that includes the full Mini range

BMW plans to significantly increase the number of electric cars in its range during the 2020s. It outlined plans to launch several battery-powered models, including M cars, and transform Mini into an EV-only brand by 2030. In the medium-term future, the firm's lineup will include electric variants of the 5 Series, the 7 Series, and the X1, though they will likely be based on the next-generation cars, not on the models currently found in showrooms. They'll join the i4 — a 3 Series-sized sedan with a fastback-like design — and the iX crossover in the lineup. BMW hopes to have at least one electric model representing it in about 90% of its current market segments by 2023, and it realistically expects that EVs will account for approximately 50% of its global sales by 2030. Beyond 2025, the Munich-based firm will align its range with a new strategy it calls Neue Klasse, a name borrowed from a series of enthusiast-friendly sedans and coupes sold during the 1960s and the 1970s; the 2002 is arguably the best-known Neue Klasse model. Fast-forward to the 2020s, and the designation will denote cars built with a new IT and software architecture, powered by new-generation electric technology, and designed to be sustainable. EVs shaped by the Neue Klasse approach to design will be positioned in many market segments, ranging from mass-produced cars (like the 1 Series hatchback sold in Europe) to high-performance M models. Most will be powered exclusively by batteries, but some will be available with a hydrogen-electric powertrain. Highly automated driving technology will be available, too, though BMW stressed its EVs will be enjoyable to drive. Crucially, the firm plans to increase its annual revenue by offering configurable and bookable features available during a car's entire life cycle; think of this system as an a la carte menu for cars. If you buy a used 2027 5 Series in 2031, for example, you'll theoretically have the ability to configure it with many of the options and features you want even if it wasn't ordered new with them. Some might even be enabled for a pre-determined amount of time. You might not need heated seats if you live in Tucson, but you might want them for a weekend if you're going skiing. What about Mini? Confirming a wave of recent rumors, BMW-owned Mini will exclusively sell electric cars in less than a decade.

BMW 2 Series caught uncovered during shoot

Before we know it, the BMW 1 Series will be no more in the United States. Well, sort of. The current six-year-old coupe and convertible will be replaced by the fancy new 2 Series you see here, spotted completely uncovered during a photo shoot, with the 1 Series nomenclature being reserved for the hatchback and GT models that might not ever make it Stateside.
The roofline of the new 2 Series doesn't appear to have to changed all that much from the current 1 Series coupe, but the front and rear fascias have indeed been smoothed out. (Truth time: As much as your author adores the 1 Series, he's always found its rear end to be, well, weird.) It looks good, seen here in M235i guise, with large wheels, slimmer headlamps and large air intakes on either side of the front fascia.
The 2 Series is expected to come to the States, likely in M235i and 228i variants, though rumors suggest that we won't get a non-M 235i model. The M235i is expected to be powered by the N55 turbocharged inline-six that we currently enjoy in the 335i sedan, producing something like 320 horsepower. The 228i, unsurprisingly, should use the 2.0-liter turbo-four from the 328i, making around 240 hp. Both engines will almost certainly employ eight-speed automatic transmissions and six-speed manuals.