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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 seriously considering SUV

A Rolls-Royce Phantom may be the size of an SUV, and the Ghost isn't that much smaller. Still, according to reports, the high-end British automaker is seriously evaluating the prospect of adding a proper sport-ute or crossover to its lineup.
The news comes courtesy of Bloomberg, which spoke to Rolls-Royce chief executive Torsten Müller-Ötvös at the Frankfurt Motor Show last week. Although the rumor of a potential Rolls off-roader has been floating around for several months now, this is the first we've seen of the company confirming the possibility.
The development would follow similar projects being undertaken by rival automakers. Former sister-brand Bentley is preparing to launch an SUV, Jaguar revealed its own concept crossover at the same show, Maserati is gearing up to start production of the Levante and even Aston Martin has considered the idea of a crossover.

Rolls-Royce unveils new bespoke Phantom 'Iridescent Opulence'

The Rolls-Royce Phantom is already a fairly solid symbol of conspicuous consumption, but its Bespoke program churns out cars that push the envelope even further. The latest, a feather-and-fleck adorned model dubbed "Iridescent Opulence," certainly checks those boxes.  While Bespoke creations generate buzz with regularity, Rolls-Royce called this one out in particular because it shows off what its designers can do with otherwise "empty" space in the cabin. In this case, the party piece is on the dash, but that's not what the British super-luxe company is calling it. Here it is, straight from Rolls: THE GALLERY   An understanding that the marque’s patrons are increasingly collectors of fine and contemporary art led the Rolls-Royce Design Team to create a space in which to curate and to commission, to exhibit, admire and reflect. A space aptly named ‘The GalleryÂ’, is an application of glass that runs uninterrupted across the fascia of Rolls-Royce Phantom, providing an unprecedented opportunity to present artwork within your car. Assembled in a highly technical Clean Room at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England – a sterile environment within which delicate and highly Bespoke items can be assembled, from a simple application of wood or metal, to a more complex use of materials not normally viable in an automotive context –  ‘The GalleryÂ’ extends the patronÂ’s experience of curation with the marque to a new realm. See? It's not a dashboard; it's an exhibition space. Here, it's used to show off a collection of more than three thousand tail feathers. Yep, feathers. Sustainably sourced, Rolls-Royce insists, but still pretty, and draped over a 3D-printed shape designed to emulate the musculature of a bird wing, so you can pretend those peacocks (we're spitballing here) were absorbed by the machine, rather than slaughtered so their fluffy bits could adorn it.  Feathers and additively manufactured materials are only the tip of the iceberg for these new gallery concepts, Rolls-Royce says, so we expect to see more like this in the future. Just, you know, one at a time. Rolls-Royce Phantom 'Iridescent Opulence' View 13 Photos