Rolls-Royce discusses its potential future in electric cars

Rolls-Royce 102EX Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
At the grand opening of the Rolls-Royce dealership in Chicago's Gold Coast area, Kicking Tires got the chance to sit down with David Archibald, president of Rolls-Royce North America. On discussion was the general business strategy of the ultra luxury brand and how electrics play into that.

Since its debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the 102EX Concept electric vehicle has been making the rounds at various events and dealerships. The automaker is even letting customers drive the concept back-to-back against the Phantom (on which it is based) to get an idea if it has market potential. According to Automotive News initial feedback has been a bit lackluster, with the 100-mile range being the biggest hurdle.

However, Archibald pointed out, "If you'd have come here 12 months ago and asked our customers, 'What do you think about alternative fuels,' they would have said, 'What are you talking about.'" Now, that's starting to change as new electric vehicles are pretty much popping up weekly.

Still, no decision has been made regarding a production electric or hybrid. With alternative fuels now on the minds of even a luxury car buyer, it sounds to us like it's not a matter of if but when.

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Rolls-Royce discusses its potential future in electric cars

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Rolls-Royce 102EX Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
At the grand opening of the Rolls-Royce dealership in Chicago's Gold Coast area, Kicking Tires got the chance to sit down with David Archibald, president of Rolls-Royce North America. On discussion was the general business strategy of the ultra luxury brand and how electrics play into that.

Since its debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the 102EX Concept electric vehicle has been making the rounds at various events and dealerships. The automaker is even letting customers drive the concept back-to-back against the Phantom (on which it is based) to get an idea if it has market potential. According to Automotive News initial feedback has been a bit lackluster, with the 100-mile range being the biggest hurdle.

However, Archibald pointed out, "If you'd have come here 12 months ago and asked our customers, 'What do you think about alternative fuels,' they would have said, 'What are you talking about.'" Now, that's starting to change as new electric vehicles are pretty much popping up weekly.

Still, no decision has been made regarding a production electric or hybrid. With alternative fuels now on the minds of even a luxury car buyer, it sounds to us like it's not a matter of if but when.

View the original article here

2013 Infiniti JX Crossover Spy Photos – Future Cars

2013 Infiniti JX Crossover Spy Photos – News – Car and Driver #pallet {margin:0;}#echoice li.category {margin:0;}Car and DriverIntelligence. Independence. Irreverence. VehiclesReviewsNewsFeaturesBuyer's GuideFollow UsSubscribeSearch Car and DriverHome › News › 2013 Infiniti JX Crossover Spy Photos - Future Cars

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2013 Infiniti JX Crossover Spy Photos - Future CarsInfiniti’s three-row crossover may be covered in garbage bags, but it’s still a Nissan.BY JUSTIN BERKOWITZ, PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL MCNAMARA FOR BRENDA PRIDDY & CO. AND THE MANUFACTURER
June 2011

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Photos (89)Visit Our Buyer's Guide »InfinitiNews & Reviews2013 Infiniti JX Concept Sketch - Auto ShowsTop CompetitorsAcura MDXAudi Q7BMW X5Lincoln MKTMercedes-Benz GL-class

Infiniti’s EX and FX crossovers are a hoot to drive, but as showroom performers, they’re the Microsoft Zunes of the automotive world. Crossovers like the Lexus RX and Acura MDX trounce the duo’s combined sales by tremendous margins every month in the charts. The execs at Infiniti are well aware of this, and are preparing the three-row JX to properly mount an assault on the luxury-crossover market.

Through the garbage-bag garb of this prototype, we can make out an Infiniti grille that may even beat that of the M sedan for bulginess. The roofline of the car in these photos is clean and elegant, tapering towards the rear into the oval-shaped rear window like those of the EX and FX. The design seems very far along—perhaps it’s even finished—and in profile, the truck is somewhat reminiscent of the low-slung Audi Q7. There isn’t a lot you can do to disguise seating for seven.

Infiniti Badge, Nissan Roots

Unlike the rest of the current Infiniti lineup, which depends on just two rear-drive-based platforms—one for the G, M, EX, and FX, and a second for the QX—the JX will borrow a front-drive-based Nissan platform. (Our guess is the architecture from the Altima and Murano.) The bosses at Nissan and Infiniti haven’t yet spoken to the degree of differentiation between the JX and any Nissan siblings, but we expect the Infiniti to be something more than simply a stretched and rebadged Murano.

Our spy photographer also got a clear shot of the JX prototype’s interior, and the car shows both its Nissan roots and some Infiniti-style touches. The layout of the center stack is clearly dependent on what you’ll find in the Nissan Murano, with a centrally mounted display flanked by air vents. The gearshift lever is similar to what you’d find in other Infinitis, though, and you can also spot the same knob on the center console, situated between the seat-heater controls, that controls chassis settings on other Infinitis.

As we previously reported, Nissan has filed paperwork with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office to trademark JX20, JX25, JX25h, and JX30. Which—if any—of these badges will one day adorn JX crossovers on the road is difficult to say. Infiniti’s current naming convention indicates the engine displacement in liters multiplied by ten, and we have a hard time believing the company would sell a three-row crossover SUV with a 2.0-liter or 2.5-liter engine—at least in the States. What’s more, Nissan doesn’t even have a 3.0-liter engine in the parts bin right now, save a diesel six offered in a few Renaults. In spite of there not being a trademark filing for JX35, we think the crossover is most likely to receive Nissan’s ubiquitous 3.5-liter VQ V-6, which produces in the neighborhood of 290 hp in most of its front-wheel-drive applications. Given Nissan’s proclivity for rubber-band transmissions, a CVT may be the only transmission on offer.

That’s where the speculation ends. In showing off its sketch in New York, Infiniti laid out its timeline for the JX: It will show a concept version at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August, and follow that with a production vehicle at the L.A. auto show in November. Expect more information as those dates near.

 


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2013 Aston Martin Rapide S Spy Photos – Future Cars

May 24, 2011 at 6:29pm by Steve Siler

A rapide-r Rapide seems to be on the horizon.

Its 470-hp V-12 and gorgeous shape make the Aston Martin Rapide one of the most gratifying sedans on earth, but the $200,000-plus Aston is way slower—and way more expensive—than most of its loosely defined competitive set, which includes the Porsche Panamera Turbo and Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG. While we don’t expect the Rapide to get any cheaper in future iterations, we do expect it to get quicker. Some have suggested that the car seen here is merely a face-lifted car, but we believe the lightly camo’d Rapide caught in these spy photos is a prototype of an upcoming, rapide-r Rapide likely to be called Rapide S.

Keep Reading: 2013 Aston Martin Rapide S Spy Photos – Future Cars

Tags: Aston Martin, Aston Martin Rapide, British, luxury, sedan, spy photos |

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2012 Scion FR-S / Toyota FT-86 / Subaru RWD Sports Car Spy Photos – Future Cars

May 16, 2011 at 6:29pm by Jon Yanca

The Scion/Subaru/Toyota rear-wheel-drive coupe gets caught testing in a camouflaged production-ready body.

Toyota is such a tease. Way back in the fall of 2009, it showed a swoopy yet angry-looking rear-drive, two-door sports-car concept called the FT-86. Although we weren’t big on its looks, we were excited by the thought of a north/south powertrain once again gracing a Toyota coupe—and surprised that Toyota was working on the car with Subaru, which will get its own version. Then, at Geneva this year, we saw a slightly redesigned version with a bigger maw accented by LEDs, appropriately called the FT-86 II concept. Our mouths watered, and at the New York show we learned that the car would arrive in the U.S. as a Scion, which was previewed by the FR-S concept. But, based on these shots from our spy photographers, it seems that the FT-86/FR-S will lose much of its visual snap in production.

Keep Reading: 2012 Scion FR-S / Toyota FT-86 / Subaru RWD Sports Car Spy Photos – Future Cars

Tags: coupe, Japanese, Scion, Scion FR-S, sports car, spy photos, Toyota, Toyota FT-86 |

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2012 Honda CR-V Spy Photos – Future Cars

May 17, 2011 at 4:49pm by Justin Berkowitz

Honda continues its trend of gentle evolution with the next-gen CR-V.

A fearless Car and Driver reader in Washington, D.C., snapped this picture of the next-generation Honda CR-V crossover, which will debut this fall. The vehicle looks ready for production, wearing its own sheetmetal (rather than the modified body of an existing Honda model) with the badge buried in tape on the tailgate.

Keep Reading: 2012 Honda CR-V Spy Photos – Future Cars

Tags: crossover, Honda, Honda CR-V, Japanese, spy photos, SUV |

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2013 Infiniti JX Crossover Spy Photos – Future Cars

May 19, 2011 at 12:31pm by Justin Berkowitz

Infiniti’s three-row crossover may be covered in garbage bags, but it’s still a Nissan.

Infiniti’s EX and FX crossovers are a hoot to drive, but as showroom performers, they’re the Microsoft Zunes of the automotive world. Crossovers like the Lexus RX and Acura MDX trounce the duo’s combined sales by tremendous margins every month in the charts. The execs at Infiniti are well aware of this, and are preparing the three-row JX to properly mount an assault on the luxury-crossover market.

Keep Reading: 2013 Infiniti JX Crossover Spy Photos – Future Cars

Tags: crossover, Infiniti, Infiniti JX, Japanese, luxury, spy photos, SUV |

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2012 Audi R8 GT Spyder Spy Photos – Future Cars

May 17, 2011 at 3:44pm by Jon Yanca

We’re not surprised by the GT Spyder, but always welcome another peep at an R8.

These spy photos of the Audi R8 GT Spyder are not a big surprise. Neither do they raise any important questions. Audi recently confirmed that it would build a roofless version of its lightweight R8 GT and released a pair of sketches, but now we have real photos of the hotter R8 Spyder. It may not be major news, but we just can’t pass up the chance to share more pictures of the stunning R8, especially in this beautiful blue.

Keep Reading: 2012 Audi R8 GT Spyder Spy Photos – Future Cars

Tags: Audi, Audi R8, Audi R8 GT, Audi R8 GT Spyder, convertible, German, roadster, spy photos, supercar |

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2013 Porsche Cayman Spy Photos – Future Cars

May 19, 2011 at 4:27pm by Alexander Stoklosa

No surprise here: The next Cayman looks a lot like the current one, and we’re okay with that.

We’ve already spotted the 2012 Boxster in the wild—our editor-in-chief, Eddie Alterman, even snagged a few shots himself—but now we have the first spy photos of the next-gen Boxster’s hardtop sibling, the 2013 Cayman. Since the two cars share a platform, most of what we know about the Boxster will apply to the Cayman as well. This means carryover flat-sixes, with a new flat-four as the base engine. The current Cayman engine lineup starts with a 265-hp, 2.9-liter flat-six, moving to a 320-hp, 3.4-liter flat-six in the Cayman S. We don’t know much about the new four-cylinder, but it most likely will be a shortened version of the six, rather than an all-new engine. Transmissions are not likely to change much, and the new Cayman should make do with the existing six-speed manual and seven-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic.

Keep Reading: 2013 Porsche Cayman Spy Photos – Future Cars

Tags: German, Porsche, Porsche Cayman, sports car, spy photos |

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2013 Audi S1 Spy Photos – Future Cars

May 17, 2011 at 2:39pm by Jens Meiners

We won’t be getting the A1, but can we please have the hotter S1?

Audi’s European-market Mini fighter, the A1, is selling more slowly than expected. It’s the most expensive and the only premium iteration of a platform that is shared with mundane vehicles like the Škoda Fabia, the SEAT Ibiza, and the ubiquitous VW Polo. When we drove it last summer, we were impressed by the A1's handling and composure, but there is no denying that the VW Group offers cheaper ways to enjoy a similar level of driving pleasure. The quickest A1, powered by a turbo- and supercharged, 185-hp, 1.4-liter gasoline four, is only a symbolic five hp more powerful than its Fabia RS, Ibiza Cupra, and Polo GTI siblings. The Audi reaches 62 mph in 6.9 seconds, and its top speed is an ungoverned 141 mph, but a mere five hp aren’t going to pull it ahead of the other three.

Keep Reading: 2013 Audi S1 Spy Photos – Future Cars

Tags: Audi, Audi S, Audi S1, German, hatchback, spy photos, turbocharged |

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2013 Audi Q5 S / SQ5 Spy Photos – Future Cars

May 13, 2011 at 11:47am by Jens Meiners

The sportiest Q5 gets caught by our photographers.

More power for the Audi Q5? It makes sense. BMW’s X3 makes up to 300 hp, and the Infiniti EX35 is just behind with 297 hp. By contrast, the top-spec Audi Q5 3.2 FSI makes 270 hp, and its V-6 isn’t really among those powerplants we’d call flexible and sporty. If Audi wants to be regarded as the “sportiest premium brand”—a goal we’ve often heard mentioned in Ingolstadt—installing its more charismatic and powerful engines into a wider range of products is essential.

Keep Reading: 2013 Audi Q5 S / SQ5 Spy Photos – Future Cars

Tags: 2013 Audi Q5 S, 2013 Audi SQ5, crossover, spy photos, SUV |

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2013 BMW 3-series Spy Photos – Future Cars

May 3, 2011 at 1:07pm by Jens Meiners

Familiar proportions will be applied to some new 3-series variants.

As we inch closer to the 2012 launch of the sixth-generation BMW 3-series, code-named F30, more details emerge—along with better spy shots. The photos seen here reveal a compact sedan that, visually, remains close to the current model: The proportions are virtually unchanged, and, with the tape-covered front and rear lights, it takes an expert to spot the differences.

Keep Reading: 2013 BMW 3-series Spy Photos – Future Cars

Tags: BMW, BMW 3-series, German, luxury, sedan, sports sedan, spy photos |

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New York City Picks Nissan NV200 Small Van as Future Yellow Cab

After considering a large number of proposals, New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission announced today that it has selected a small van from Nissan, called the NV200, as the Ford Crown Victoria‘s heir apparent as the yellow cab for New York City. This will give Nissan an exclusive 10-year contract to supply New York City taxi operators with vehicles.

The selection process began in 2009, when Ford’s Crown Vic went into full zombie mode. Since then, companies operating yellow cabs in the five boroughs have been free to supply politically correct vehicles; most are Ford Escape hybrids, and the rest of the city’s roughly 13,000 yellow cabs are comprised of Volkswagen Jetta TDIs, Toyota Siennas, Priuses, Nissan Altima hybrids, and even the occasional Lexus RX400h or Toyota Highlander hybrid.

Nissan’s NV200 beat out the similarly sized Ford Transit Connect, as well as a Turkish company’s clean-sheet proposal; the latter company, Karsan, even suggested building its van in Brooklyn. (For a further Turkish connection, it’s worth noting that all Ford Transit Connects sold in the States are imported from Turkey.) While the NV200 isn’t sold in the U.S. in any form, Nissan has said it plans to expand its van offerings here beyond the hideously truckish NV. Unlike the body-on-frame NV, however, the NV200 is car-based, and is a fairly conventional vehicle in markets like Europe, where small vans are popular.

Interior of the European Nissan NV200. You can fuhgedabout ours having a stick.

We expect yellow NV200s to begin hitting New York’s streets in 2014, and they will proliferate as the existing motley collection of taxis wear out. To avoid the 25 percent chicken tax on trucks, Nissan may want to build the NV200 in the U.S.; this especially makes sense, as we fully expect Nissan to offer the small van to retail consumers. It’s also unclear what will power the NV200. In Europe, the van is offered with a choice of tiny gas or diesel engines. Neither of these is suitable or economical for Nissan to bring to the U.S., so we expect that the company will install a four-cylinder engine already familiar to the American market, like the 1.8-liter powerplant used in the Cube, Sentra, and Versa.

While 13,000 vehicles isn’t a tremendous number, New York City’s taxi choices influence fleet selections for other cities as well, as the big companies that operate regionally like to have a standard vehicle and set of replacement parts and tools.

Unfortunately, neither Nissan nor the City of New York has given any impression that there will be any changes to the incredibly annoying video clips forced on rear-seat taxi passengers.

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2013 Ford Fusion Spy Photos – Future Cars

April 29, 2011 at 5:04pm by Steve Siler

Somewhere beneath the Mondeo parts and camouflage, the next-gen Fusion is taking shape.

More than five years after its introduction, the Ford Fusion remains one of the Blue Oval’s most popular models, but the end is in sight for the current car. Ford is hard at work on the next generation of its mid-size sedan, which will finally ditch its antiquated Mazda-based platform and ride on bones shared with its European counterpart, the Mondeo.

Keep Reading: 2013 Ford Fusion Spy Photos – Future Cars

Tags: 2013 Ford Fusion, Ford Fusion, future cars, sedan, spied |

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2013 Cadillac SRX Plug-In Hybrid Spy Photos – Future Cars

April 25, 2011 at 6:34pm by David Gluckman

A plug-in powertrain will power the touch-sensitive interior of Caddy’s crossover (and the rest of the car, too).

Cadillac can’t seem to settle on a powertrain for its hot-selling SRX. The second-gen crossover was introduced in 2010 with Saab’s turbocharged 2.8-liter six as an option (it was sacked early this year; no big loss) and a 3.0-liter V-6 as the base engine (also gone for 2012). Both are being replaced by GM’s 3.6-liter V-6, which will be the only available motivator for now. A plug-in hybrid version—caught here by our covert photogs—should join the lineup soon enough. The 2013 model year also will bring a mild interior update with touch-sensitive controls.

Keep Reading: 2013 Cadillac SRX Plug-In Hybrid Spy Photos – Future Cars

Tags: American, Cadillac, Cadillac SRX, Cadillac SRX plug-in hybrid, crossover, hybrid, luxury, plug-in hybrid, spy photos, SUV |

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2013 Cadillac SRX Plug-In Hybrid Spy Photos – Future Cars

April 25, 2011 at 6:34pm by David Gluckman

A plug-in powertrain will power the touch-sensitive interior of Caddy’s crossover (and the rest of the car, too).

Cadillac can’t seem to settle on a powertrain for its hot-selling SRX. The second-gen crossover was introduced in 2010 with Saab’s turbocharged 2.8-liter six as an option (it was sacked early this year; no big loss) and a 3.0-liter V-6 as the base engine (also gone for 2012). Both are being replaced by GM’s 3.6-liter V-6, which will be the only available motivator for now. A plug-in hybrid version—caught here by our covert photogs—should join the lineup soon enough. The 2013 model year also will bring a mild interior update with touch-sensitive controls.

Keep Reading: 2013 Cadillac SRX Plug-In Hybrid Spy Photos – Future Cars

Tags: American, Cadillac, Cadillac SRX, Cadillac SRX plug-in hybrid, crossover, hybrid, luxury, plug-in hybrid, spy photos, SUV |

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