After successfully positioning itself as a global brand with a strong racing heritage, under ‘The Call of the Blue’ campaign, India Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd. has launched the 3rd version of the national brand campaign, to elevate its image by intensifying the aspirational value through engaging customer centric activities and launches.
Since 2018, with the announcement of each phase of ‘The Call of the Blue’ brand campaign, the company has been executing its product planning, marketing, and customer engagement strategies in line with the brand’s global image of ‘Excitement, Style and Sportiness’. As a result, 8 new global products were introduced with a focus on the premium segment. This led to an impressive rise of Yamaha’s market share in the premium motorcycle segment, moving up from 10 percent in 2018 to 15 percent in 2021.
On this occasion, Chairman of Yamaha Motor India Group of companies, Mr. Eishin Chihana said, “In India, ‘The Call of the Blue’ brand campaign has played a significant role in positioning Yamaha as a premium brand with strong racing heritage. To further build on this image, and to create a sense of aspiration and pride of ownership within the Indian youth, we are glad to announce the launch of the ‘The Call of the Blue’ Version 3.0.We will reach out to a wider set of customers who aim to make motorcycling a part of their lifestyle. Additionally, we will intensify our promotion activities and expand our network of premium Blue Square stores to provide customers a delightful experience.”
A new brand campaign film on ‘The Call of the Blue’ Version 3.0 was also released. The film portrays the aspiration levels of owning a Yamaha and how every Yamaha product enriches the lifestyle of the youth from different walks of life. It also showcases how the aspirations of the youth turn into reality, as they ride together to create new memories and evolve with “The Call of the Blue”.
Under this refreshing brand campaign, Yamaha is further revving up the excitement quotient, offering a premium ownership experience to all its customers by organising engagement activities like – ‘The Call of the Blue Track Day’, ‘Blue Streaks’ Ride and ‘The Call of the Blue Weekend’.
Also, to amplify its presence in the premium segment, the company is aggressively expanding its current network of over 80 Blue Square showrooms, offering its customers a platform to interact with the brand and enjoy unique buying and ownership experience. Currently, India Yamaha operates with 1,800 plus touch points across India.
Aston Martin is proud to introduce the new V12 Vantage Roadster – a uniquely exciting and ultra-exclusive limited production model which combines the thrilling performance of the most powerful Aston Martin Vantage ever made with the freedom and sensory stimulation of roof-down driving.
With production strictly limited to just 249 customer examples globally, with all examples sold ahead of release, the V12 Vantage Roadster boasts a compelling combination of dramatic widebody design, ground-hugging wide-track suspension and – for the first time in a Vantage Roadster – the mighty 5.2-litre Twin-Turbo V12 engine. With searing straight-line speed and the unfiltered howl of Aston Martin’s sonorous 700 PS 12-cylinder engine, the V12 Vantage Roadster elevates the open-top driving experience to a scintillating new level.
Roberto Fedeli, Aston Martin Chief Technical Officer, said: “We have worked extremely hard to ensure the V12 Vantage Roadster possesses the same potency and dynamism that characterises the V12 Vantage, while surpassing it in terms of raw sensory excitement that you only achieve with roof down driving. With more power and torque than any Vantage Roadster before it, a wide-track chassis with precisely tuned suspension calibration, and up to ten times the downforce of the series production Vantage Roadster, this is a breathtaking machine created for our most enthusiastic customers”.
Key to this exhilarating driving experience is the powerhouse of the engine. Developing 700 PS at 6500 rpm and 753 Nm of torque at 5,500 rpm, the quad-cam 60-deg 5.2-litre V12 is a true force of nature. With a power-to-weight ratio of 372 PS-per-ton and an endlessly impressive delivery which combines effortless in-gear response with epic acceleration, every squeeze of the V12 Vantage Roadster’s throttle leads to an unforgettable adrenaline rush.
Accelerating from rest to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds and with a top speed of 200 mph the V12 Vantage Roadster occupies the very highest echelon of open-top sportscar performance. With a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission and mechanical Limited-Slip Differential (LSD) mounted at the rear, the car possesses the purity and balance of a front-mid-engined rear-wheel drive layout. An optimised transmission calibration minimises shift speeds and maximises driver interaction, while adaptive software in the transmission’s control system monitors operating conditions and driver demands to enhance the driver’s feeling of response and control.
Sharing the same suspension hardware as the V12 Vantage, but featuring a bespoke tune for its adaptive dampers, the V12 Vantage Roadster’s dynamics have been honed to the keenest possible edge. The steering calibration mirrors that found in the V12 Vantage, to offer maximum steering feel and quick response, improvements which bring the car alive through corners and can be felt with every steering input.
Like the V12 Vantage, the V12 Vantage Roadster features powerful Carbon Ceramic Brakes (CCB) as standard. Measuring 410mm x 38mm the front discs are gripped by 6-piston calipers, while the 360mm x 32mm rear discs are paired with 4-piston calipers. With much increased stopping power and tremendous resistance to brake fade at high temperatures, the CCB technology also makes a considerable 23kg of unsprung weight saving compared to steel brakes, benefitting steering response and ride quality.
In order to further reduce overall mass the V12 Vantage Roadster’s front bumper, clamshell bonnet, front fenders and side sills are made from carbon fibre, with the rear bumper and deck lid made from weight-saving composite material. Additional savings have been made with the adoption of a lightweight battery and a special centre-mounted twin-exit exhaust system fabricated from lightweight 1mm stainless steel. Tuned to ensure the V12 Vantage Roadster has a rousing voice to match its looks, this new system weighs 7.2kg less than the Vantage Roadster’s exhaust.
It’s an indication of the V12 Vantage Roadster’s monstrous performance that its dramatic form is driven by function. For example, the formidable physique of the widebody design is necessary to accommodate the widetrack suspension, which is 40mm wider than Vantage. The new front bumper design, complete with full width front splitter generates additional downforce and aerodynamic balance, while increased cooling is achieved by the reshaped front grille, which is 25 per cent larger, and the ‘horse shoe’ engine vent in the bonnet.
Aerodynamic performance also informs the new sculpted single-piece sills and rear bumper, which comes complete with integrated diffuser – the effectiveness of which has been improved by the routing of the centre mounted, twin tailpipe, exhaust system. In contrast to the V12 Vantage, the V12 Vantage Roadster comes without the dramatic rear wing as standard, though it can be specified as an option. Those who choose the more understated look can do so in the knowledge that aerodynamic balance is maintained thanks to detailed management of underbody airflow.
Final visual touches come in the form of impressive 21in alloy wheels, which are offered in two finishes, satin black or satin black diamond turned. An optional lightweight forged wheel option is also available in both satin black and satin black diamond turned, which saves a further 8kg of unsprung mass. Michelin Pilot 4S high performance tyres – 275/35 R21 front and 315/30 R21 at the rear – are standard fitment on all rims.
As flagship of the Vantage range, the V12 Roadster is fitted with Sports Plus Seats trimmed in full semi-aniline leather and featuring ‘Wings’ quilt and perforation pattern as standard. A carbon fibre performance seat with exposed twill carbon fibre shell and manual 6-way adjustment can be had as an option for those looking for the ultimate in dynamic design and maximum support for high performance driving, also saving 7.3kg without skimping on occupant comfort.
V12 Vantage Roadster customers can further boost the exclusivity of their car by engaging the services of the marque’s bespoke personalisation service, Q by Aston Martin, for everything from striking exterior graphics and liveries to woven leather. With extensive use of exposed carbon fibre in its design, the V12 Vantage Roadster also lends itself perfectly to Q by Aston Martin: Commission’s range of tinted lacquers, which change appearance under different lighting conditions to make a spectacular feature of the hand-laid carbon fibre panels.
Marek Reichman, Aston Martin Chief Creative Officer, adds: “From a design perspective, V12 Vantage Roadster is a combination of living sculpture and physiology, such as the functions of an elite runner or thoroughbred racehorse. On one hand, much like the way their systems are developed to handle the stresses of peak performance and trained to work together to increase efficiency and power using oxygen, V12 Vantage Roadster was designed to maximize the benefits of airflow into, throughout and around the car. And on the other, for our Drivers, we created this explicit open-top sports car for those craving excitement and drama. The platform presented us with a design opportunity to make a contemporary visual statement of intent. The result is a living, breathing, driving sculpture with a level of control that sits at the fingertips”.
Production of the V12 Vantage Roadster is due to commence in Q3 of 2022, with first deliveries scheduled to begin during Q4 2022.
Revealed at the prestigious Monterey Car Week in California in 2021, the elegantly appointed Flying Spur Mulliner sits at the pinnacle of the Flying Spur family, combining the very finest in modern craftsmanship and breath-taking luxury. The introduction of Blackline Specification to the Flying Spur Mulliner builds on the increasing customer popularity of the GT Mulliner Blackline, with an uptake of nearly 20 per cent. Contemporary external treatments replacing bright chrome are now offered across all Mulliner models.
The Flying Spur Mulliner Blackline Specification replaces all of the exterior brightware (excluding the Bentley ‘Winged B’ badge) for gloss black versions. In place of the satin silver upper mirror caps typical of a Flying Spur Mulliner, for the Blackline Specification the mirrors are finished in gloss Beluga black. The signature Mulliner matrix wing vents are also blackened, and finished with bright Mulliner branding. The radiator grille remains black with bright edges to the 3D design and the lower bumper grilles are also finished in black.
The Blackline Specification also offers an optional black 22-inch Mulliner wheel with contrast polished ‘pockets’, or alternatively 22-inch Mulliner gloss black wheel with self-levelling badges featuring chrome rings are also available. The new specification allows Mulliner customers further visual contrast with lighter exterior palettes or elegantly blend in with darker colour choices.
The luxurious interior of the Flying Spur remains unchanged from the existing Mulliner edition, allowing customers to enjoy any colour combination they choose as part of Mulliner’s limitless offering, or one of eight recommended three-colour combinations, using Bentley’s wide palette of hides and threads.
The Flying Spur Mulliner Blackline Specification is available with Bentley’s V8 and W12 powertrains, as well as the new V6 Hybrid. When equipped with Bentley’s 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12, the Flying Spur Mulliner accelerates from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds (0-100 kmph in 3.8 seconds) and is capable of a top speed of 207 mph (333 kmph). The new generation 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 delivers a top speed of 198 mph (318 kmph) and 0-60 mph in 4.0 seconds (0-100 kmph in 4.1 seconds). The new V6 Hybrid accelerates from 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds (0-100 kmph in 4.3 seconds) with a top speed of 177 mph (285 kmph).
The interior of the Flying Spur Mulliner offers a unique choice of exquisite detail and tactile finishes, and demonstrates the skilled craftsmanship of all Mulliner products. There are eight individually curated interiors to choose from consisting of three colours – a main, secondary and an accent.
One of the bolder curated interiors – Flare – is a combination of Beluga leather to the instrument panel, door trims and headlining while a rich red leather called Hotspur emphasises the style of the seats. Linen micro-piping, embroidery and accent line combines a third colour into the unique Mulliner interior.
The Mulliner Driving Specification is fitted as standard, bringing the “Diamond-in-Diamond” quilting to the seats, and three-dimensional leather to the doors. Contrast seat piping matches the accent that surrounds the occupants from the centre console, around the instrument panel and finishes beneath the door waistrail, highlighting the Bentley B chrome inlays.
Modern craftsmanship and breath-taking luxury combine in the diamond milled technical finish that is applied to the centre and rear consoles. The centrepiece feature on the dashboard alongside chrome bullseye vents is a stunning, brushed silver Mulliner clock.
The classic Bentley theme continues in the LED driver’s instrument panel, with stylish new and exclusive Mulliner graphics. The now famous Bentley Rotating Display, sports pedals, heated duo-tone 3-spoke steering wheel and panoramic sunroof further add to the luxurious ambience.
Unique Mulliner electrically-operated picnic tables are mounted to the rear of the front seats and can be deployed with a single press of a button. The veneered tables, which feature unique overlay, lower and self-level to reveal a leather-trimmed surface with a recess for a pen or stylus. Holding the button down returns the table gracefully to its home position.
As a part of its strategic brand campaign ‘The Call of the Blue’, India Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd. has introduced an exciting line-up of 2022 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Edition models. These models include the Supersport YZF-R15M, the Dark Warrior MT-15 V2.0, the Maxi-Sports Scooter AEROX 155 and the RayZR 125 Fi Hybrid scooter. The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Edition model range will be available at all the premium Blue Square outlets in India.
The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Edition, motorcycle model range – YZF-R15M and MT-15 V2.0 showcases the Yamaha MotoGP branding on the tank shrouds, the fuel tank and side panels, outlining its racing background. Whereas the AEROX 155 and the RayZR Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Edition gets Yamaha MotoGP branding on the overall body.
The strong background of Yamaha’s excitement in India that started with the R Series, FZ Series and MT Series testifies Yamaha’s commitment of offering two wheelers that live up to the global spirit of Yamaha Racing. Further to stimulate its growth, Yamaha aims to strengthen the global image of excitement, style, and sportiness by offering MotoGP inspired Editions in the future as well.
On this occasion, Chairman of Yamaha Motor India Group of companies, Mr. Eishin Chihana said, “Yamaha is known for its strong racing DNA in international motorsports. The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Edition livery is the perfect representation of our commitment towards offering a model range that showcases this proud lineage. This year our performance in MotoGP has been exceptional with Fabio Quartararo maintaining his lead in rider standings. This also portrays Yamaha’s unmatched engineering and technological prowess. At Yamaha, our objective is to help our customers experience the same level of excitement being witnessed in global racing. Today, we are glad to introduce 4 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Edition models for our customers who are passionate MotoGP fans ignited by the spirit of racing. Going forward, the company will continue to introduce more such exciting products as a part of its brand commitment to India.”
India Yamaha Motor (IYM) Pvt. Ltd. has announced the launch of three new premium Blue Square showrooms, in Kolkata, West Bengal. The announcement comes in line with Yamaha’s commitment to strengthen its premium retail footprint in the Indian market, to ensure that every customer gets to experience a supreme buying and ownership experience.
The state-of-the-art Blue Square showrooms embed Yamaha’s racing DNA of excitement, style & sportiness, and are launched under the banner of ‘Paul Automobiles’ in Maheshtala (1460 sq.ft), ‘Aquad Ventures’ in Kamarhati (1589 sq.ft) and ‘Mahansaria & Sons’ in Baruipur (1659 sq.ft). All three showrooms are designed to offer end-to-end sales, service, and spares support.
A Blue Square showroom is a customer’s gateway into the world of Yamaha Racing, and every section in the premium outlet is designed to evoke a sense of pride, of being associated with a global brand with strong roots in international motorsports. This has allowed the brand to form an instant connect with its customers, as ‘Blue’ is a representation of the Yamaha’s proud racing legacy and ‘Square’ symbolises a platform created for customers to connect with the brand’s philosophy of offering ‘exciting, sporty and stylish’ range of products.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Eishin Chihana, Chairman, Yamaha Motor India Group of Companies said, “As a part of ‘The Call of the Blue’ brand campaign, we are excited to announce the launch of 3 new Blue Square showrooms in Kolkata.Being a capital city, the Kolkata market is of great importance to strengthen our presence in the East Zone. With the newly launched premium outlets, the city has 4 active dealerships now, and every Blue Square outlet is a platform created for customers to attain a sense of belonging to Yamaha’s rich heritage in international motorsports. The premium outlet salso enable our customers to interact with the brand, acquire product information, and check out the range of Yamaha accessories and apparels, providing them a unique buying and ownership experience.”
Apart from the AEROX 155 that is exclusively sold through Blue Square, the premium outlets also showcase an attractive display of other Yamaha motorcycles and scooters followed by genuine accessories, apparels, and spare parts. The showrooms also serve as a platform for customers to be a part of the Blue Streaks rider community, through which they can interact with like-minded riders and experience their Yamaha machines together.
With the newly launched outlets, Yamaha currently has seven Blue Square showrooms operational in West Bengal. In total, the premium Blue Square showroom footprint across Indiastands at 80 outlets, with showrooms in Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Orissa, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Delhi, and other North-Eastern States.
Bentley Mulliner is completing the final stages of handcraftsmanship of 12 of the rarest Bentleys of the modern era – the exquisite Bacalar. The Bacalar is the ultimate expression of two-seat, open-air luxury and was the first in a new series of pinnacle bespoke projects that have spearheaded a return to coachbuilding by Bentley Mulliner – the oldest coachbuilder in the world. The imminent completion of the Bacalars will allow the Mulliner team to focus attention towards their next project, which will be revealed soon.
Eight Bacalars – each in a unique colour designed by its customer – have now been handed to their owners around the world, with the final four cars in the last phases of preparation in Mulliner’s Crewe workshop for transport and delivery. With each car taking around six months to complete, the last tasks and quality checks mark the end of a long and incredibly detailed process to craft each Bacalar according to its owner’s wishes.
Bacalar has been brought to life by Bentley Mulliner to revive its specialism in providing rare coachbuilt cars to only a few discerning customers. A roofless Barchetta design with all-new and highly muscular coachwork, embracing a myriad of options and materials, each Bacalar is truly unique, the result of direct interaction between the Bentley Mulliner design team and each individual customer. As with every car in the series, strictly limited to 12 examples, all cars have had every detail specified by their owners, and as such are totally bespoke to them.
Each carbon fibre body is finished in a bespoke colour for each individual customer with no two cars being the same. The cars sit on unique 22” Tri-Finish wheels, with polished faces, dark grey satin spokes and accent highlights to complement the exterior.
Maria Mulder, Head of Colour, Materials and Finishes, comments; ‘Designing a Bacalar is an exercise in imagination, with the material, colour and finish of practically every interior and exterior surface being bespoke. Regardless of your personal style, whether it be to specifying your Bacalar with a bold Yellow Flame exterior paint synthesised with rice husk ash, or a more subtle Moss Green that reflects Bentley’s heritage, developing your own artisan piping, or co-create a unique fabric blend, the Bacalar has provided all of these opportunities.’
Uniquely designed details and features in the cabin emphasise the coachbuilt character of the car, with an almost infinite number of ways for the 12 customers to express their personal taste and commission a unique interior.
Sustainable, ethically-sourced materials previewed in the EXP 100 GT concept car have now become reality in a number of the Bacalars. These include paint containing ash from rice husks, which provides a sustainable way of delivering a rich metallic finish, natural British wool and 5,000-year-old Riverwood sourced from the ancient Fenlands of East Anglia.
From the use of precious inlays and unique finishes to the driver controls, to the 148,199 individual stitches needed to embroider the unique Bacalar quilt on each seat, owners will find details and components not seen before on a Bentley. Due to the nature of these personal commissions, Bentley is not able to reveal the identity of the customers nor where the cars will be heading. However, each customer shares a love of driving, along with an avid appreciation for craftsmanship, authenticity & attention to detail, all deeply associated with Mulliner.
A Perfect Example One of the finished Bacalars took pride of place on Bentley’s show stand at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, during which time it was handed over to its new owner by Bentley’s Chairman and Chief Executive, Adrian Hallmark. The specification of the car is a perfect example of how every detail of a Bacalar was chosen by its customer.
This Bacalar was finished in bespoke Sunset Orange, with customised tri-colour 22” wheels in dark grey satin with polished faces and gloss black highlights providing a bold contrast to the vibrant exterior. The centres of the headlamps were colour matched to the Sunset Orange bodywork, either side of a set of gloss black grilles and surrounds. The bonnet vents provided a textural difference being finished in satin carbon fibre, as were the wing mirrors. Satin carbon fibre also gave additional definition to the ‘power humps’ behind the front seats – accented with Sunset Orange brightware – along with the side skirts and rear diffuser, complemented by exhaust finishers with gloss black outers and matte black inners.
Side vents and the rest of the exterior brightware are in gloss black, as are the insides of the exterior door handles.
A white and black cabin with Mandarin Orange accents creates a striking contemporary interior theme. A satin carbon fibre technical finish encapsulates the occupants, sweeping from one side of the cabin to the other, matching the exterior technical details harmoniously. Every panel and detail of the interior was specified to the customer’s choice, through careful combinations of leather and Alcantara in white, black and orange, gloss and satin metals in black, dark tint and bright chrome finishes, and the twin usage of both gloss and satin carbon fibre.
Mandarin Orange leather accentuates the form of the top roll, the centre line in the steering wheel and both the door release and gear lever. This continues with further stitching details to the rear of the seats within the oval perforated Beluga piping and hand cross stitching along the door following the styling line around to the centre console.
The Bacalar is the extreme example of how the tiniest of details included in every Bentley can accumulate to form a cabin unlike any other. This customer’s car is no exception, and details include:
The analogue clock faces of the Bentley Rotating Display provide a splash of contrast in Bacalar Blue. The carpets feature a ‘diamond carved’ pattern, with binding and stitching in Mandarin Orange. The split line between satin carbon fibre and gloss black in the luggage area – usually unseen and hidden by luggage – was specified to be in satin dark tint.
The bespoke luggage that fits behind the seats feature Alcantara uppers to match the car, along with embroidery in Mandarin Orange and oval-perforated beluga piping with a Mandarin Orange core – exactly replicating the finish to the back of the fronts seats
Infinite Choice The specification of every Bentley is a voyage of discovery, with even a ‘standard’ model being configurable in literally billions of ways. The process of designing a Mulliner goes even further – with infinite combinations of materials, colours and finishes. The exquisite grand tourers that result are only bounded by the law of the land and the imagination of the customer. The next coachbuilt model from Mulliner – to be revealed soon – will be no exception.
Goodwood Revival has shared the details of the drivers and riders who will be making an appearance at the 2022 event. Goodwood has long brought together competitors from across the spectrum of motorsport and this year is no exception, with almost 30 different racing championships due to be represented at Revival.
From the world of endurance racing, a total of 15 iconic drivers who have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans an astonishing 44 times between them will take to the historic Goodwood Motor Circuit. The Revival will also host drivers from the World Endurance Championship, IMSA Spa 24 Hours, World Sportscar Championship and the European Le Mans Series. Among them are “Mr Le Mans” himself, nine-time winner Tom Kristensen, triple champion André Lotterer, Henri Pescarolo, who holds the record for the most Le Mans starts, and three-time winner and two-time World Endurance champion Brendon Hartley.
Goodwood Revival is delighted to be hosting three Formula 1 World Champions – Jenson Button, Damon Hill and Sir Jackie Stewart – who hold a spectacular five World Drivers’ Championships between them. Also joining Goodwood Revival from the high-octane world of Formula 1 drivers who have raced at the very top, including Max Chilton, who set a new Hill record in the McMurtry Spéirling at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed 2022. Also attending from the world of single-seater racing are Formula E driver Stoffel Vandoorne and two-time Formula E Champion Jean-Éric Vergne.
Joining the Goodwood Revival on two wheels will be iconic riders, winners and champions from the Isle of Man TT, World Superbike Championship, British Superbike Championship and MotoGP. Three renowned Isle of Man TT winners – Peter Hickman, Gary Johnson and John McGuiness will be racing at Revival – who between them boast an incredible total of 34 wins.
Representatives from American motorsport series including IndyCar, NASCAR and IMSA, will also be in attendance. Further to their announcement in May, five former and current IndyCar drivers – Max Chilton, Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, Jimmie Johnson (who is also a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion), and Simona de Silvestro – are set to join us at the Goodwood Motor Circuit over the weekend; Dixon and Franchitti boast 10 IndyCar Championships and four Indy 500 wins between them.
Making an appearance from Touring Car racing will be, drivers, winners and champions from the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), European Touring Car Championship, World Touring Car Championship, Italian Touring Car, Super Touringwagen Championship, Bathurst 1000 and the DTM. Goodwood Revival will be hosting five BTCC Champions with an impressive nine wins between them, including Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal.
Whilst Rolls-Royce has built a reputation for creating the pinnacle of super-luxury motor cars using internal combustion engines, the concept of electrification is long familiar to the brand. Henry Royce began his working life as an electrical engineer and dedicated much of his career to creating internal combustion engines that simulated the characteristics of an electric car – silent running, instant torque and the sensation of one endless gear.
Yet the connection with the marque’s founders is far deeper. When Charles Rolls drove a 1900 electric car named the Columbia, he made a prophecy: “The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean. There is no smell or vibration. They should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged.” Spectre is the fulfilment of this prophecy.
Spectre also represents a promise kept. In 2011, Rolls-Royce showcased a fully electric Experimental Phantom concept named 102EX. This was followed by 103EX, a dramatic design study that anticipated a bold electric future for the marque. These experimental cars prompted significant interest from Rolls-Royce clients, who felt that the characteristics of an electric powertrain would fit perfectly with the brand. Rolls-Royce Chief Executive Officer, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, responded to this with a clear promise: Rolls-Royce will go electric, starting this decade, and by 2030 Rolls-Royce will be a fully electric motor car brand.
In September 2021, Rolls-Royce confirmed that it had commenced testing of the first all-electric Rolls-Royce, Spectre. To ensure Spectre is first and foremost a Rolls-Royce, it will undergo the most demanding testing programme ever conceived by the marque, spanning 2.5 million kilometres, simulating on average more than 400 years of use for a Rolls-Royce. It is an extraordinary undertaking.
Earlier this year, at a bespoke testing facility in Arjeplog, Sweden – just 55 kilometres from the Arctic Circle – Spectre received the first ‘lessons’ in a finishing school that is custom designed to teach the motor car how to behave and react like a Rolls-Royce. Over the past months, the marque’s test and development engineers have shifted their focus from extreme conditions to more formal scrutiny in a location that reflects the motor car’s everyday use: the French Riviera.
In evoking its spiritual successor, the Phantom Coupé, this Electric Super Coupé will be the first all-electric super-luxury motor car with continental touring central to its proposition. The French Riviera and its roads present a perfect combination of the types of conditions that will be demanded from Spectre’s clients, ranging from technical coastal corniches to faster inland carriageways.
Forming a crucial part of Spectre’s 2.5 million kilometre global testing programme, a total of 625,000 kilometres will be driven on and around the French Côte d’Azur. This phase is split into two parts, beginning at the historic Autodrome de Miramas proving ground, located in the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône in Provence. Once a circuit that played host to the 1926 Grand Prix, the site is now a state-of-the-art test and development facility, incorporating more than 60 kilometres of closed routes and 20 test track environments that provide a vast number of testing opportunities over its 1,198 acre footprint.
These include irrigation units that create standing water, demanding handling circuits with tight corners and adverse cambers, as well as a heavily banked 3.1 mile three-lane high-speed bowl, enabling Spectre to be tested at continuous high speeds.
The second phase of testing in the region occurs in the Provençal countryside surrounding the Autodrome de Miramas. This region is enjoyed by many of the marque’s clients, therefore a significant 55% of testing here has taken place on the very roads that many production Spectres will be driven on following first customer deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2023. This provision for testing under local, real-life conditions is repeated in key markets around the world, as the marque goes to painstaking lengths to ensure that its products meet – and so often exceed – the expectations of its highly discerning customer group.
Spectre is unlike any Rolls-Royce before it. This is not only because of its fully electric powertrain, but also its unprecedented computing power and application of advanced data-processing technologies. Spectre is the most connected Rolls-Royce ever and each of its components are more intelligent than in any previous Rolls-Royce. It features 141,200 sender-receiver relations and has more than 1,000 functions and more than 25,000 sub functions. This is around three times more sender-receiver signals than a typical Rolls-Royce.
The dramatically increased intelligence of Spectre’s electronic and electric powertrain architecture enables a free and direct exchange of detailed information between these functions with minimal centralised processing. To unlock the potential of this technology, Rolls-Royce software engineering specialists developed a decentralised intelligence for Spectre. This is based on data being processed closer to its source rather than being handled in its entirety by a single central processing unit.
By sending more sophisticated data packets – that not only describe a variable but propose a response – the motor car’s reaction time is significantly faster and more detailed. This advanced technology sees much of the development of Spectre pivot from the workshop into the digital space.
Yet developing Spectre is not an exercise in computer science alone. The motor car requires a response to hundreds of thousands of possible scenarios, and therefore it needs the most skilled and experienced specialists to define and finesse an appropriate mechanical reaction. Over the course of the Riviera Testing Programme, the marque’s most experienced engineers are painstakingly creating a dedicated control for each of Spectre’s 25,000-plus functions, incorporating variations of response depending on factors including weather, driver behaviour, vehicle status and road conditions.
In harnessing this new processing power, the marque’s engineers are creating unparalleled levels of detail, refinement and effortlessness for Spectre whilst ensuring continuity in the experience of Rolls-Royce’s internal combustion engine motor cars. These highly experienced specialists describe the result as “Rolls-Royce in high definition”.
Following months of continual testing, a new suspension technology has been approved that ensures Spectre delivers Rolls-Royce’s hallmark ‘magic carpet ride’. This technology is now being refined and perfected at Miramas and on the roads of the French Riviera.
Using a suite of new hardware components and leveraging Spectre’s high-speed processing capabilities, this sophisticated electronic roll stabilisation system uses data from the motor car’s Flagbearer system, which reads the road surface ahead, and satellite navigation system, which alerts Spectre to upcoming corners.
On straight roads, the system can automatically decouple Spectre’s anti-roll bars, allowing each wheel to act independently. This prevents the rocking motion that occurs when one side of a vehicle hits an undulation in the road. This also dramatically improves high-frequency imperfections in ride caused by smaller, more frequent shortcomings in road surface quality.
Once a corner is confirmed as imminent by satellite navigation data and the Flagbearer system, the components are recoupled, the suspension dampers stiffen and the four-wheel steering system prepares for activation to ensure effortless entry and exit. Under cornering, more than 18 sensors are monitored, and steering, braking, power delivery and suspension parameters are adjusted accordingly so that Spectre remains stable. For the driver, this delivers serenity, predictability and, ultimately, greater control in unprecedented high definition.
The unparalleled control of such a generously proportioned motor car that is provided by this new technology is enabled by the marque’s all-aluminium spaceframe architecture. Not only has this platform, which is reserved for the brand’s exclusive use, enabled designers to create a new class of Rolls-Royce – the Electric Super Coupé – but it has also provided Spectre with the most rigid body in the marque’s history.
Spectre’s aluminium architecture is reinforced with steel sections that provide exceptional torsional rigidity. This is combined with aluminium body sections that represent the largest of any Rolls-Royce yet. The one-piece side panel, which extends from the front of the A-pillar to behind the rear tail-lights, is the largest ‘deep draw’ part ever produced by Rolls-Royce – extending nearly four metres in length. Likewise, the pillarless coach doors, which are nearly 1.5 metres in length, are the longest in Rolls-Royce history.
Spectre’s exceptional rigidity, which represents a 30 per cent improvement over all existing Rolls-Royce motor cars, has also been achieved by integrating the extremely rigid structure of the battery itself into Spectre’s aluminium spaceframe architecture. Only through the marque’s architecture has this been made possible.
In announcing the redesigned Spirit of Ecstasy mascot that will sit proudly at the prow of Spectre, Rolls-Royce aerodynamicists predicted that the motor car would have a drag coefficient (cd) of just 0.26, making it the most aerodynamic Rolls-Royce ever created. The dramatic design of this landmark motor car, which itself is only possible using the marque’s spaceframe architecture, has enabled engineers to further improve on this landmark figure.
Following rigorous wind tunnel testing, digital modelling and continuous high-speed testing in Miramas, this figure has been further reduced to just 0.25. This does not just represent a record in the context of Rolls-Royce, but is unprecedented in the luxury sector.
The Spectre global testing programme continues: the Electric Super Coupé will still be tested for a further one million kilometres before the marque’s engineers will consider this undertaking complete. First customer deliveries of Spectre will commence in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars said, “It is no exaggeration to state that Spectre is the most anticipated Rolls-Royce ever. Free from the restrictions connected to the internal combustion engine, our battery-electric vehicle will offer the purest expression of the Rolls-Royce experience in the marque’s 118-year history. This latest testing phase proves a suite of advanced technologies that underpin a symbolic shift for Rolls-Royce as it progresses towards a bright, bold, all-electric future. This will secure the ongoing relevance of our brand for generations to come.”
Dr. Mihiar Ayoubi, Director of Engineering, Rolls-Royce Motor Car commented, “Spectre unlocks the extraordinary potential of integrating a fully electric powertrain into our Architecture of Luxury platform. From this engineering starting point, our testing and refinement processes combine empirical data and human experience, intuition and insights acquired over more than a century to refine the motor car’s driving dynamics and character. In coordinating this orchestra of systems with precisely defined responses to driver inputs and road conditions, made possible by the latest software and hardware developments, Spectre delivers the Rolls-Royce experience in exceptionally high definition.”
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. recorded 1,00,000 bookings for the All-New Scorpio-N within 30 minutes of the booking commencement at 11:00 am yesterday, translating into an ex-showroom value of INR 18,000 crores (USD 2.3 billion). Customers’ enthusiasm for the All-New Scorpio-N has been extraordinary with the Scorpio-N recording 25,000 bookings within one minute of booking commencement.
The deliveries of the All-New Scorpio-N will begin September 26, 2022, onwards. Over 20,000 units of the All-New Scorpio-N are planned for delivery by December 2022 wherein Z8L variant will be prioritised. Mahindra will inform the customers about their delivery date by the end of August 2022.
The booking website handled the huge rush of orders well, but there was a brief glitch with the payment gateway provider. Mahindra would like to assure the customers that their time stamp prior to payment is duly recorded on the booking platform, so each customer will have their rightful place in the order sequence and accordingly the first 25,000 will be considered for introductory prices based on this sequence.
The introductory prices of the All-New Scorpio-N variants are applicable for the first 25,000 bookings. The prices for the subsequent bookings will be as per the prices prevalent at the time of delivery. Bookings for the All-New Scorpio-N will continue to be accepted online and at dealerships.
Volvo Car India’s all-electric offering the XC40 Recharge has received an overwhelming response. The car got booked for the whole year 2022 within two hours of the company opening bookings on their official website. The company plans to deliver 150 XC40 Recharge cars by end of December 2022 after starting the deliveries in October. In India’s luxury electric car segment this is the first time that such bookings have been achieved in such a short span of 2 hours.
The XC40 Recharge can be booked only online on Volvo cars official website supported by the business partner network handling post purchase facilitations and deliveries across India. The company shall continue to take customer orders for further deliveries. The XC40 Recharge is India’s first locally assembled luxury EV and it will be rolled out from the company’s Hoskote plant near Bengaluru, Karnataka.
“The long wait for our customers for the XC40 Recharge is over. The overwhelming response on bookings in just two hours is a reflection of the consumer confidence in Volvo Cars. Our strategy of showcasing the car across our business partner locations and giving the prospective customers in these cities the opportunity to drive the XC40 Recharge has helped them in deciding. The XC40 Recharge can only be booked online on Volvo Cars official website and the pan India customer drive experience resulted in a quick hassle-free ordering process” said Mr Jyoti Malhotra, Managing Director, Volvo Car India
Volvo XC40 Recharge was launched over the futuristic ‘VolvoVerse’ on July 26 with an attractive hassle-free ownership package of Rs 55.90 lakhs (ex-showroom price) including 3 years comprehensive car warranty, 3 years Volvo service package, 3 year RSA, 8 years battery warranty, digital service subscription of 4 years and an 11 Kw wall box charger. The customers of XC40 Recharge would also get the exclusive membership to the company’s ultimate luxury program called ‘Tre Kronor Experience’.
XC40 Recharge pure electric is powered by a twin-motor. The SUV will deliver a power output of 408 bhp and 660Nm of peak torque. The electric motors are powered by a 78 kWh battery pack giving a range of up to 418kms on a single charge, as per international test conditions (WLTP). It can go from 0 to 100 kmph in just 4.9 seconds. The battery can be recharged from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in around 28 minutes using a fast charger (150KW).
Power Drive 