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Rolls-Royce Spectre revealed — its first-ever, 577-horsepower electric car

Next year, Rolls-Royce plans to deliver its first EV: Spectre. Teased more than a year ago, this new EV will be the first battery-powered model from Rolls-Royce (but not its last) as the company turns the page to what CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos called "the start of a bold new chapter" for the show-stopping British marque. While the Spectre is not yet ready for prime time, the new battery-powered coupe has reached the point where Rolls-Royce is comfortable sharing it with the world as its engineers work to hammer out the details.  Rolls-Royce Spectre EV View 34 Photos Its side profile may suggest that Spectre shares its underpinnings with the Wraith, but Rolls-Royce says that's not the case. Aerodynamic drag be damned, Rolls-Royce went out of its way to redesign the Spirit of Ecstasy so that it could remain a fixture of the company's design even in a world where even the smallest hint of turbulence can draw scrutiny. This is the first production implementation of the revised ornament. Under the skin lies an all-aluminum architecture engineered to reduce mass wherever possible. This (and its derivatives) will be the platform upon which Rolls-Royce's future EVs will ride; it's also shared with the company's latest round of petroleum-powered models. Rolls-Royce says it is also 30% stiffer than any previous model the company has sold, which is no mean feat considering the fact that its engineers incorporated the battery pack into the Spectre's structure.  Integrating powertrain into the chassis can be a nightmare for internal combustion models, but Rolls-Royce says it has paid big dividends with Spectre. Mass dampening is one of the most effective means of controlling vehicle NVH, and very few components offer the density of a battery pack. All 700 kilograms (~1,540 pounds) pull double duty as sound deadening in the Spectre. That brings its total curb weight to just under 6,650 pounds — approximately 1,300 pounds heavier than the Wraith.  Rolls-Royce says it'll have more than enough power to overcome that mass. While specifications of the battery pack and motors are not yet available, Rolls-Royce did confirm that it its targeting a power output of 577 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. It should hit 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds on the way to a top speed of 155. With its 23-inch wheels, it should offer approximately 260 miles of range on the EPA cycle.

Rolls-Royce gets down to testing new aluminum architecture

Rolls-Royce is preparing to step – or serenely glide – into modernity. It has a new aluminum architecture under development that's set to underpin all its future products. And now it's giving us a taste of what's to come. Goodwood first announced the new platform in February when it revealed intentions to build its first SUV. Now it's saying the architecture won't just underpin the crossover known tentatively as Project Cullinan – it'll form the basis of every model it makes from 2018 onwards. Rolls is already testing the new platform with mules like the one pictured above. The vehicle would appear to be a Phantom behind a mask, but the way that Rolls has disguised the rear end of the prototype tells us it might be wearing a more wagon-like roofline, the likes of which we'd expect to see on the crossover when it arrives. The company's also been testing its first all-wheel drive system for the same project with another type of test mule entirely. Once Project Cullinan is complete, Goodwood's first SUV will launch into a market filled with high-end products. Porsche is firmly established in the sector, and Range Rover is making ever-more expensive models. Soon Bentley, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Maserati, and Lamborghini will also join the fray, but the Rolls-Royce will likely be the most expensive and most luxurious of them all. ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS ANNOUNCES FUTURE ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENTS In February 2015, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced the development of an all-new aluminium space-frame architecture that will underpin all future Rolls-Royce models arriving in market from early 2018. The company today announced that it has begun the testing phase of this new architecture, with early preparatory activity seeing new engineering mules tested in public around the world. The Architecture of Pure Luxury The future of pure luxury motoring is already taking shape as Rolls-Royce Motor Cars begins testing its new aluminium space-frame architecture which will underpin all future Rolls-Royce model lines. The architecture will arrive in market from early 2018. Engineering mules will be assessed on public roads in various locations around the world. The current testing phase aims to ensure that the new space-frame structure perfectly delivers Rolls-Royce's trademark 'magic-carpet ride' on a variety of surfaces and that it is resilient to extreme weather conditions.

Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini utilities await approval from German parents [w/poll]

A cursory look at the top of the automobile market would suggest that the world's carmakers are gunning it full steam ahead into a new stratosphere of ultra-luxury and high-performance utility vehicles. After all, companies like Bentley and Maserati are preparing to launch their very first crossovers, while established players like Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover keep producing ever more expensive sport-utes of their own. But that's not the case across the board.
Rolls-Royce, for example, has yet to receive the green light to start working on its proposed CUV project. Though the dimensions of its sedans may already eclipse those of some crossovers, this would be the first time that Goodwood would produce a utility of its own. But while the British automaker's financial performance may have earned it a degree of autonomy, the final call may still come down to parent company BMW, which just might be waiting to see how Bentley fares with its upcoming crossover - and how much money it brings in to the Volkswagen Group - before deciding on whether or not it should proceed.
However, Rolls-Royce may not be alone in waiting for its German parent company to approve its high-priced ute. It's been two and a half years since we first laid eyes on the Lamborghini Urus (pictured), but the Italian automaker reportedly has not yet received approval from its parent company Audi and the greater Volkswagen Group to proceed with development and production. Envisioned to share its platform with the next Volkswagen Touareg, Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and the production version of the Bentley EXP 9 F concept, the high-riding Lamborghini was originally set to reach production as the marque's third model line in 2017. But while Audi drags its feet - potentially waiting to see how the Bentley version pans out - the Urus' launch keeps getting pushed back, if it's ever to be made at all.