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U.S. issues new tariff threat, this time against British-built cars

WASHINGTON — Britain is the United States' closest ally but their long friendship may be sorely tested as the two countries try to forge a new trade agreement after Britain's exit from the European Union. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Saturday in London that he was optimistic that a bilateral deal with Britain could be reached as soon as this year. But Mnuchin gave up no ground after a second meeting with his UK counterpart, Sajid Javid. Javid has insisted that Britain will proceed with a unilateral digital services tax, despite a U.S. threat to levy retaliatory tariffs on British-made autos. Mnuchin told reporters after Saturday's meeting that such taxes would discriminate against big U.S. tech companies like Alphabet Inc's Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon. The UK Treasury declined to comment on the private meeting. The divide highlights the challenges ahead as the Trump administration seeks a new bilateral agreement with Britain, part of a broader push to rebalance relations with nearly all its major trading partners. The stakes are high — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pegged the trade deal with United States as a way to ease the pain of breaking with Europe, Britain's largest trade partner. U.S. President Donald Trump, has promised a "massive" trade deal to support Brexit, the product of a populist movement similar to his "America First" agenda. The goodwill and special relationship the two countries have enjoyed for decades may not count for much, experts say. "Trump is not going to be doing Johnson any favors," said Amanda Sloat, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution in Washington. "He's not going to give him a trade deal without major concessions." Even before the digital tax issue arose, the Trump administration threatened to tax foreign car imports, which could hit British-made Jaguar, Land Rover, Mini, and Honda Civic hatchback cars. Stiff U.S. trade demands include increased access for U.S. farm goods, concessions that will be difficult for Britain's entrenched natural food culture to swallow. The United States also wants Britain to change the way its National Health Service prices drugs and allow in more U.S. pharmaceuticals, which could prove politically unpopular for Johnson's government. Washington's demand that London block Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co Ltd for national security reasons could also cloud talks.

Rolls-Royce Spectre EV is revealed, and it's production-bound

Rolls-Royce has formally announced plans to introduce a battery-electric coupe. Dubbed Spectre, the British super-luxe automaker's first EV will begin deliveries in late 2023, which has now become a key milestone in Rolls-Royce's roadmap to full electrification by the end of the decade. Apart from the name and layout, Rolls is being stingy with specifics, telling us only that, despite what appears to be a somewhat familiar silhouette, this is an all-new model built on the company's latest architecture, like Phantom, Ghost and Cullinan. Spectre is not merely a derivative of the Wraith, RR says. And with good reason, because Wraith was engineered around the essence of its V12. Spectre's character, we expect, will be defined by its near-silent, vibration-free electric powertrain, which makes for a very different acoustic backdrop, but that's a challenge Rolls-Royce engineers are prepared – arguably even predestined – to overcome. Even more than a century ago, both Charles Rolls and Sir Henry Royce were fascinated by electric powertrains. The automaker even shared some of Rolls' impressions of an EV he drove in April 1900 from Connecticut-based manufacturer Columbia:  "The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean," he noted. "There is no smell or vibration, and they should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged. But for now, I do not anticipate that they will be very serviceable – at least for many years to come." View 9 Photos "Today, 117 years later, I am proud to announce that Rolls-Royce is to begin the on-road testing programme for an extraordinary new product that will elevate the global all-electric car revolution and create the first – and finest – super-luxury product of its type," said Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos.  "Charles RollsÂ’ prophecy has been the subject of constant consideration during the marqueÂ’s Goodwood era," he said. "But we have not been satisfied that available technology could support the Rolls-Royce experience. Until now." If there's any coherent theme to the message coming from Rolls-Royce, it's that the company intends to do right by its first EV. To that end,it  says it will develop Spectre "in plain sight," holding it to some of the most stringent development requirements of any vehicle that has carried the Spirit of Ecstasy.  "To do this, we have conceived the most demanding testing programme in Rolls-RoyceÂ’s history.

Rolls-Royce announces one Ghost of a recall

Recalls come in all sizes, some numbering in the hundreds and some in the millions. Given the small volume that Rolls-Royce sells, we wouldn't expect a recall of any of its vehicles to be all that large in scope. But this one is as small as it gets. In the latest campaign announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the BMW Group (owner of Rolls) is calling in one – yes, just one – example of the Rolls-Royce Ghost. It's a 2015 model manufactured on Jan. 23, 2014, and includes some potentially problematic airbags. According to the statement below, the thorax airbags in both the front seats may not be up to code, and therefor do not protect the occupants as they're supposed to. As a result, the automaker is prompting the local dealer to replace the relevant modules on both the driver's and passenger's side. Given that it's just one vehicle, and that the 'effort' already began a couple of weeks ago, we wouldn't expect this one to drag on for very long. RECALL Subject : Side Impact Crash Worthiness/FMVSS 214 Report Receipt Date: OCT 23, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V695000 Component(s): AIR BAGS Potential Number of Units Affected: 1 Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC SUMMARY: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling one model year 2015 Rolls-Royce Ghost manufactured on January 23, 2014. The affected vehicle has thorax air bags fitted to both front seats that may fail to meet the side impact performance requirements for the front seat occupants. As such, this vehicle may fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 214, "Side Impact Protection." CONSEQUENCE: In the event of a vehicle crash necessitating air bag deployment, this may increase the risk of injury to the front seat passengers. REMEDY: A Rolls-Royce dealer will replace the driver-side and passenger-side thorax air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began October 22, 2015. Owners may contact Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. NOTES: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2015 Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II: First Drive View 43 Photos News Source: National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationImage Credit: Copyright 2015 AOL Recalls Rolls-Royce Luxury Sedan rolls-royce ghost