January 15, 2008
Rolls-Royce to top its 2-door convertible
Rolls-Royce announced at the North American International Auto Show on Monday that it will put a top on its popular 2-door Phantom convertible.
Traditionally a four-door, hard-top luxury brand, the company hopes to capitalize on the popularity of its two-door convertible, or Drophead Coupé, Graeme Grieve, Rolls’ director of sales and marketing worldwide, said Monday. (Drophead is a British term.)
The company anticipates demand to jump for the two-door hardtop after the model’s first deliveries begin in September, Grieve said.
“That’s when we’ll see the influx of orders,” he said.
BMW bought the Rolls-Royce brand in 1998, debuting the Phantom model at the Detroit auto show in 2003.
Rolls also announced the addition of a lower-priced model set for production in 2010.
But don’t call it the budget version. Typical Rolls-Royce vehicles sell for between $400,000 and $450,000. The new, smaller sedan, a brand-new car with code name RR4, is expected to cost $250,000 to $350,000, Rolls-Royce spokesman Graham Biggs said.
“The idea of this is it broadens the appeal of the brand,” Biggs said. “It’s still an expensive brand.”
A biofuel Ferrari
Ferrari announced at the show a biofuel evolution of the Italian manufacturer’s popular F430 Spider model.
Ferrari does not have a production date for the biofuel version. But with E85 (85% ethanol) coming to the forefront in North America, Ferrari wants to be ready with an environmentally conscious version of the Spider without sacrificing performance, general manager Amedeo Felisa said.
“We cannot lose the sportiness of the car,” he pointed out Monday.
Ferraris can already use up to 10% ethanol, according to company officials. But adjustments to the prototype’s central processing unit allow E85 use with the same engine-compression ratio. The adjustment adds 10 horsepower to the Spider’s typical 479-horsepower performance at 8,500 r.p.m., and lowers CO{-2} emissions by 5%, Felisa said.
Lamborghini thriving
Don’t tell Lamborghini about U.S. economic woes.
The company announced Sunday at the auto show that 2007 was the first year that more than 1,000 of its luxury vehicles were sold in North America.
As a result, the maker of luxury sports cars has created a U.S. dealer-management arm, said President and CEO Stephan Winklemann.
“Two-thousand seven was a fantastic year for Lamborghini,” he said.
Panasonic, Garmin join
Electronics giant Panasonic is teaming with navigation systems leader Garmin to sync such things as music and maps in new vehicles.
“Bringing the connected lifestyle to the automobile is truly the next frontier,” Panasonic marketing and new business manager Tom Dunn said at the show Monday.
The companies’ first goal is to make mid-priced navigation systems for global automakers, he said. “We can see providing a solution that’s in between the $2,000 integrated system or a portable navigation device,” Dunn said.
By Tammy Stables Battaglia