New Rolls Royce Phantom VIII Flagship Luxury Sedan Unveiled

The Rolls Royce Phantom is the obvious car of choice if you have unlimited money and want to be driven around in unparalleled comfort. As the largest, most expensive and most luxurious sedan in the world, the Phantom has (on and off) been the flagship line for the Rolls Royce since 1925. It has been the car of choice for movie stars, film stars and even heads of state and now, there is a new one - the brand new Rolls Royce
Phantom 8! And no, this is not a BMW 7 Series with a fancy body on it like the smaller Rolls Royce Ghost, but features a brand new bespoke platform with equally bespoke exterior and interior styling. But lets not get too technical with what lies underneath the skin and tell you what really matters - Luxury!!For starters, the Rolls Royce claims that the new Phantom is the 'most silent motor car in the world' with 6mm of two-layered glazing on every window surface around the car and with more than 130 kg of sound insulation. The floor too is double skinned which makes it even quieter than the last generation and even between those layers, Rolls Royce has packed in a high degree of sound deadening foam. Even the tyres have been make specifically for the Phantom with a technology called 'silent-seal' that has a foam layer placed inside it to reduce tyre noise.

Before we tell you all about the uber luxurious interior, lets quick gloss over the twin-turbocharged engine that rests under the bonnet. The engine, a 6.75-litre, or as Rolls-Royce calls it, Six and Three Quarter Litre, makes 563 bhp of peak power and 900 Nm of peak torque and is mated to an 8-speed gearbox. The Phantom is still rear wheel drive and although it does pack an impressive amount of power, it is still more suited towards sedated driving.In terms of exterior design, Rolls Royce has taken an evolutionary approach as expected with the new Phantom. The flat surfaces and impressive stance with the overall look still continues to be very similar as the older Phantom but with subtle and noticeable changes. The front end though is the biggest difference with the largest ever 24-slat grille fitted to a production Rolls Royce. The front valence with the built in bumper and air intake is more aggressive than before and the split headlamps have been replaced by a sleeker single piece unit that features daytime running lamps and LED illumination. The tail is pretty similar to the last 7th generation Phantom with the large tail lamps, the swooping boot while the signature two tone theme has been carried over too.On the inside, the biggest issue with the last generation Phantom has finally been addressed - and impressively - technology in terms of the latest infotainment. The new Phantom features a completely digital gauge cluster that has multiple customisation options and is complimented well with the huge centrally mounted screen. The infotainment unit uses BMW's basic user interface but has been customised for the Phantom specifically. The dashboard and trim is of course wooden and customisable to the nth degree and you can also opt for a glass casing on the dashboard panel. Of course, the signature starlit roof liner is also a standard feature on the Phantom and one we would highly recommend.The new Phantom comes with a wide variety of rear seats. From the standard lounge seats to individual seats with occasional armrest, individual seats with fixed centre console and the newly introduced sleeping seat, there is something for everyone. The Phantom also gets a new fixed rear centre console that incorporates a drinks cabinet with whisky glasses and decanter, champagne flutes and a coolbox. You also get wood panelling on the rear of the front seats with theatre monitors and picnic tables that are electrically deployed and a the 'I am too rich to shut my own door' button that electronically shuts your door for you!While there are cars that cost as much that are faster and more dramatic, a Rolls Royce Phantom is the ultimate form of automotive transportation to announce your arrival. The Phantom 8 will be available in India soon with a price tag that will make most houses in South Mumbai look affordable and will be available both in standard and extended wheelbase versions.

Harley-Davidson plans to reorganize, reduce workforce

Harley-Davidson facing falling motorcycle sales around the world, said on Tuesday it plans to streamline its operations, reorganize and reduce its workforce during the fourth quarter in a move that will cost the company $20 million to $25 million.

The stock gained 9 percent on Tuesday after the news.

The motorcycle manufacturer cited continued slowed U.S. motorcycle industry growth as the main factor for weaker retail sales. Harley-Davidson did not give details on its reorganization plans nor initially say how many jobs may be impacted.

Harley-Davidson's retail motorcycle sales fell 7.1 percent in the United States during the third quarter. Weak U.S. industry trends dragged on the company's total global retail sales, which fell 4.5 percent.

"We continue to effectively navigate a fiercely competitive environment and an ongoing weak U.S. industry," said Matt Levatich, president and chief executive officer, Harley-Davidson Inc.

For the nine months ended Sept. 30 motorcycles registered in the United States fell about 5.6 percent to 279,013, according to Motorcycle Industry Council data.

Arun Kumar, a AlixPartners consultant, said many Americans are putting disposable income toward automobiles, rather than motorcycles.

"The U.S. consumer is electing to upgrade to a luxury vehicle," Kumar said.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Joseph Spak noted some market enthusiasm regarding Harley's 2017 motorcycle lineup and positive September sales, but asked if it would carry on into the spring.

"Question is can they hold on into and convert in the meaningful riding season," Spak said in a research note on Tuesday.

Harley-Davidson reported a lower quarterly profit on Tuesday, which was as expected due to weak sales in the United States, the company's largest market.

The Milwaukee-based company said its net income was $114.1 million in the second quarter, down from $140.3 million a year ago.

Earnings per share decreased to 64 cents from 69 cents a year ago, in line with expectations. Revenue was $1.27 billion, down from $1.32 billion a year earlier but beating forecasts for $1.09 billion.

Triumph's new Bonneville Bobber is a factory custom with hardtail looks

Triumph has expanded the Bonneville motorcycle range with a factory bobber. The Bonneville Bobber gets a brand-new frame and suspension to house a version of the new Bonneville T120's liquid-cooled 1200cc engine. The new frame and suspension provide the bike with a properly classic profile.

The Bobber also appears to be a hardtail bike at first glance, but closer examination reveals the rear of the bike is mounted like a swingarm. Triumph calls it a "swing-cage," and features a coilover monoshock under the rear tractor-style seat. The Bobber hides many other things as well, including the various electronics and wires to help give the car a more vintage look, despite having throttle-by-wire, electronic fuel injection, traction control and ABS.

The bike features many other touches to complete the classic bobber look, such as an adjustable seat pan, angle-cut mufflers, rubber fork gaiters, and brushed engine parts. It comes with some classy bronze Triumph badges on the engine, tank and seat pan as well. Triumph also has 150 accessories to personalize the Bobber, including ape-hanger handlebars.

Triumph has not released specifics on engine output or pricing yet. The company says the Bobber's parallel twin is tuned to provide more low-end torque and horsepower than the otherwise similar engine on the T120. We would also expect the Bobber cost a bit more than the T120, which starts at $12,000 with freight charge

Bentley Bentayga Diesel is officially the world’s fastest diesel SUV

Luxury automobile maker Bentley has finally unveiled the diesel variant of its luxury SUV called the Bentayga Diesel. Named after the rock formation on the Canary Islands the Bentley Bentayga comes with oodles of power with its 4.0-litre V8 engine that delivers a stunning 900Nm of torque.

There’s a good 429bhp of power on tap and it easily catapults this beast of an SUV from 0-100kph in just 4.8 seconds. Top speed is rated at 270kph which is pretty darn good for a SUV. With its diesel chops, the Bentayga still manages to impress the lowest CO2 output of any Bentley – 210 g/km with a 1,000 km range potential.

And all of this comes with nothing less than what one would expect from a Bentley. The Bentayga’s cockpit sets new standards for both luxury and precision, with meticulous tolerances between the exquisite veneered woods and metal elements.

The hand-selected veneers – including a new Liquid Amber finish (shown above) introduced with Bentayga Diesel – form pure and elegant surfaces throughout the cabin. Each of the 15 pieces are shaped by Bentley’s artisans and finished with trademark Bentley attention to detail.

There’s also plenty of goodies like multi-mode air suspension, Electric Power-Assisted Steering (EPAS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), multi-mode Traction Control (TCS), Hill Descent Control, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Park Assist, and Electronic Night Vision among others.

Externally nothing has changed, and you still get the Bentley ‘twin-quad’ exhaust tailpipe design, black matrix grille with chrome surround and much more. Which is similar to what you get on the W12 petrol version that was launched in India back in April this year.

Wolfgang Dürheimer, chairman and chief executive of Bentley Motors, said: “The Bentayga Diesel represents a moment of immense significance in Bentley’s history, by giving the world its fastest luxury diesel SUV. Immense power, grand touring capabilities and superb refinement – this is a true Bentley. Only Bentley could produce a car so powerful, yet so refined.”

Bentley will begin deliveries for the diesel variant in early 2017.

Maserati has hit a home run with the Levante SUV

It would be hard to overestimate the importance of the Levante SUV for Maserati. The brand came back to the US over a decade and and half ago, but since the financial crisis and amid an SUV boom, it's been selling only stylish luxury sedans and sexy GT sports car.
That will all now change, and it couldn't happen at a more important time for the Italian automaker, part of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles empire. It's down at the bottom of the luxury sales hierarchy in the US, with a puny 0.1% overall market share (Porsche sells five times as many vehicles annually).

The Quattroporte and Ghibli sedans have their fans (me, for example). But in the US and increasingly China, you really need a strong crossover offering. Porsche established the template for an automaker that had never built an SUV crossing that river in the early 2000s when it created the Cayenne, a hugely successful vehicle.

Now Maserati has taken the same plunge.

We first saw the Levante when it was revealed at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show and later in the flesh at the New York auto show. Now we've actually spent some time behind the wheel. It was a relatively brief, two-hour run from a working farm and restaurant, Blue Hill at Stone Farms, about an hour north of New York to Bear Mountain.

This wasn't enough time to fully evaluate the vehicle - we'll get a crack at that later - but we formed some early impressions. And those impressions were good.

The ultimate Nissan GT-R supercar is now $175,000

The Nissan GT-R is nicknamed "Godzilla" for a good reason - it's a beast capable of decimating just about anything standing between it and victory.
But if you want to get your hands on that kind of speed, you'll need to pony up some serious dough.

This week, Nissan announced that the top-of-the-line 2017 GT-R NISMO will start at $174,990.

Yowser!

With a price tag like that, the GT-R NISMO is firmly in supercar territory.

For instance, the Audi R8 V10 Plus starts at around $190,000, the Acura NSX opens at $156,000, and the Porsche 911 Turbo S at $188,000.

This is a far cry from 2008 when the Nissan GT-R arrived on the scene with 480 horsepower and a $70,000 sticker price.

It was the performance bargain of the decade. Even though it's not quite the case anymore, you are still getting a ton of go-fast goodies for the money.

All GT-Rs are powered by a 3.8 liter, twin-turbocharged VR-Series V6 engine. Here, the engineers at NISMO - Nissan's in-house performance division - have massaged the hand-built motor to churn out 600 horsepower. Upgrades to the drivetrain include new ignition-timing controls, fuel pump, and high-capacity turbochargers. There's also a standard titanium exhaust system.

In addition, the folks at NISMO - a portmanteau of the words Nissan and Motorsports - have lightened and retuned the GT-R's suspension to offer better performance.
Nissan has not yet released the official performance figures for the new NISMO GT-R. However, if its anywhere close to the 2.8-second 0-60 mph times we have seen from recent GT-Rs, you won't be disappointed.

If the $175,000 sticker price is too rich of your blood, a base 565 horsepower GT-R is still a stunning performer and carries a more palatable price tag of $109,990.

New-Gen BMW 5 Series Revealed; Is Now Lighter And More Powerful

We told you just yesterday about the all-new BMW 5 Series and how images have leaked out ahead of its reveal. Well, now, the company has taken the wraps off the car and we know more about the 7th generation of the BMW 5 Series. To begin with, it's lost weight and is about 62kg lighter than its predecessor and that's all thanks to the extensive use of high-strength steel, aluminum, and magnesium.

On the looks front, there isn't a significant overhaul for the new generation. However, there are changes up front like the headlamps flowing into the grille, which makes the nose appear wider. The kidney grille now features active slats that close when necessary for better aerodynamics.
There's of course the optional M Sport package which sees larger air intakes on the front fascia, new side skirt trim, and a tweaked rear bumper with trapezoidal exhaust tips. The suspension is also lowered and it also comes with 19-inch wheels.

Yes, the new-gen 5 Series has grown and is now 30.5mm longer, 7.62 mm wider and 15.2mm taller than the outgoing model. There's an increase in wheelbase as well of 5.08mm which adds extra legroom at the rear.

BMW will launch the 5 Series with two powertrains and both use an eight-speed automatic gearbox and are optionally available with xDrive all-wheel drive. The 530i will feature a revised 2.0-litre turbocharged four cylinder engine which makes 248bhp and 350Nm of torque. This helps the car to do a 0-100Km/h sprint in 6.2 seconds, or 6 seconds with xDrive.

The range-topping engine for now is the 540i, which uses a 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six with 335bhp and develops 450Nm of torque which is more than the current 535i. The car can go from 0-100Km/h in close to 5 seconds with the with rear-wheel drive version or 4.9 seconds with all-wheel drive.

The new chassis and the weight shedding might help in improving the handling of the 5 Series. To add to this further, the 5 Series will come with the optional Adaptive Drive system which includes updated Dynamic Damper Control. The system adjusts the anti-roll bars with electric motors that are faster and lighter than the previous hydraulic actuators. The company's rear-wheel steering setup, which it calls Integral Active Steering, is available on all-wheel-drive mod

The new 5 Series comes with features like Active Lane Keeping Assistant and Traffic Jam Assistant which gives it semi-autonomous driving capability. The technology helps keep the sedan in a single lane and can even cope with stop-and-go traffic.

Occupants can also use the iDrive 6.0 infotainment system that now features gesture control, a function which was introduced on the 7 Series sedan.
The 5 Series then gets a whole bunch of technology from its elder sibling and it's likely to come to India only next year. We'll keep you updated on the latest on that front.