Tag Archives: 2018

Facelifted Rolls-Royce Cullinan Unveiled, India Launch Likely By End Of 2024

The Rolls-Royce SUV has obtained its first main replace since its international introduction in 2018, making it a extra fashionable and opulent providing than ever earlier than

  • Rolls-Royce launched the Cullinan SUV in 2018.

  • The newly revealed facelifted SUV is best referred to as the ‘Cullinan Series II.’

  • Exterior revisions embrace sharper LED DRLs, elective 23-inch alloy wheels, and an up to date exhaust outlet.

  • Cabin now will get nature-sourced supplies; dashboard structure largely unchanged.

  • Still powered by the identical 6.75-litre V12 petrol engine because the outgoing mannequin.

  • Expected to be provided in India by the tip of 2024.

Luxury SUVs obtained a brand new benchmark in opulence with the arrival of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan in 2018. Now, it has obtained its first main refresh, formally known as the Cullinan Series II. It has now turn out to be extra fashionable in and out, whereas retaining its extensive potentialities of customer-specific customisations. Here’s a fast rundown of all the pieces that’s new on the Rolls-Royce SUV:

Small But Effective Design Updates

The 2024 Cullinan options delicate adjustments over the pre-facelift mannequin. The SUV now will get sleeker LED headlight clusters, sharper and inverted L-shaped LED DRLs, and bigger air intakes within the up to date entrance bumper.

It is the primary time that the Cullinan is that includes illumination for the grille, which has been given some tweaks, now making it much like that on the Phantom Series II. Another cool design contact is that the bumper traces from the bottom level of the LED DRLs to the SUV’s centre level beneath the grille kind a shallow ‘V’, which as per Rolls-Royce, resembles the sharp bow traces of recent sports activities yachts.

No main adjustments are noticeable from the perimeters of the Cullinan, save for the availability of a brand new set of alloy wheels, whereas additionally having the choice to equip it with 23-inch items constructed from aluminium. Changes on the again are much more delicate, with probably the most important updates being the tweaked exhaust outlet and a revised skid plate that includes a brushed silver end.

Rolls-Royce has additionally provide you with a brand new Emperador Truffle paint choice for the facelifted Cullinan – a strong grey-brown shade. And if the Cullinan Series II is simply too fundamental for you, the posh marque can be providing the facelifted SUV within the Black Badge model, which will get blacked-out components to make it stand out.

A Refreshed Cabin

If you thought the adjustments on the within of the Rolls-Royce SUV might be extra important than these on the surface, assume once more. Rolls-Royce doesn’t have a protracted record of vehicles within the portfolio, and at these costs, plenty of it’s near-perfect the primary time round (functionally at the least). Thus, not a lot has modified within the cabin of the facelifted Cullinan, however it now contains a full glass panel throughout the highest portion of the dashboard. Here, you proceed to get the touchscreen infotainment unit with Rolls-Royce’s Spirit interface, and a digital driver’s show, whereas on the passenger facet it has graphics representing the skyscrapers of the world’s megacities at night time. The illumination of the graphics is achieved by way of the 7,000 laser-etched dots strategically situated behind the glass panel.

One of the speaking factors of the brand new Cullinan is its new show unit within the dashboard that flaunts an analogue clock and a fastidiously crafted miniature model of the ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ brand positioned beneath it.

Owners of the brand new Cullinan can tailor the color of the instrument dials to enhance the SUV’s inside palette or exterior end. Rolls-Royce has additionally tactfully included the kind of supplies used to make the cabin extra environmentally-friendly. There’s material made out of bamboo, panels constructed from open-pore wooden, and hand stained veneer ‘leaves’. The new upholstery is named ‘Duality Twill’, which takes 20 hours to be made, contains 22 lakh stitches, and almost 20 km of thread, and is produced utilizing particular lasers for uniformity and precision.

Also Read: 2024 Porsche Panamera Showcased In India For The First Time

Equipment On Board

Of course, the luxurious inside is complemented by the truth that the SUV is loaded with loads of tech on board. Apart from the twin digital screens and multi-zone local weather management with fancy knurled switchgear, the Cullinan additionally will get rear leisure shows, therapeutic massage, cooling, and heating perform for the seats, an 18-speaker audio system with a subwoofer, related automobile tech, and superior driver help methods (ADAS).

Powertrain Details

Rolls-Royce is providing the Cullinan Series II with the identical 6.75-litre V12 petrol engine because the pre-facelift SUV. That stated, its output hasn’t been revealed but however within the pre-facelift mannequin, the identical powertrain put out 571 PS and 850 Nm. It will get all-wheel-drive (AWD) and an 8-speed computerized transmission. However, the sportier Black Badge model of the Cullinan Series II reveals its peak efficiency figures to be 600 PS and 900 Nm.

Interestingly, Rolls-Royce has shared that solely 10 p.c of Cullinan house owners are primarily chauffeur-driven. So, the driving dynamics of the posh SUV usually are not only for the rear passengers for the driving force as properly with its refined adaptive suspension.

Expected India Launch And Competition

We anticipate the facelifted Rolls-Royce Cullinan to turn out to be obtainable in India within the second half of 2024, at a big worth premium over the outgoing mannequin. It’ll rival the Bentley Bentayega and Land Rover Range Rover SV.

Read More on : Cullinan Automatic

The Interior of Toyota’s New R&D Center Looks Like the Nurburgring Pit Lane

Toyota has been engaged on a brand new analysis and growth heart since April 2018 in Shimoyama—the identical place the place the corporate opened a 3.3-mile version of the Nürburgring. Work on the R&D web site has now been finalized, and there is one other connection to the well-known German circuit. This time, it is contained in the constructing the place vehicles are being developed.

Future Toyota GR and Lexus fashions can be created in an inside that simulates the feel and appear of the Nordschleife’s pit lane. This is the place groups from planning, design, engineering, and growth will meet for car testing to collectively iron out any points found alongside the best way. Aside from the R&D constructing itself, the Toyota Technical Center Shimoyama has a high-speed check course together with nation roads and a specialised check course that mimics sure street circumstances.

The Kia K9 Luxury Sedan Looks Even Sharper for 2025

Kia launched the second-generation K900 on the 2018 New York Auto Show however the full-size sedan lived a brief life within the United States the place it was discontinued simply three years later. The firm’s flagship continues to be on sale in different markets although, together with at dwelling in South Korea the place it is often known as the K9.

After getting a major facelift in 2021, the stately saloon is receiving yet one more nip and tuck. But this time round, the modifications aren’t as important. Kia is simply tweaking the entrance grille with horizontal slats changing the previous V-shaped parts. The 2025 K9 additionally will get newly designed 19-inch wheels and a contemporary Pebble Gray physique colour. Inside, the luxury cabin can now be had with new themes reminiscent of Martian Brown or Misty Gray.

“After Blow” know-how is added and its position is to dry condensation that kinds whereas utilizing the air con to stop disagreeable odors. After the engine has been off for about half an hour, After Blow is mechanically activated for 10 minutes to dry the air flow ducts to keep away from mould progress. A battery sensor ensures the system is not turned on when the automotive’s battery is working low. In addition, the operate stays disabled when the surface temperature is low and likewise when the AC system has not been utilized in a very long time.

Other modifications introduced by the 2025 Kia K9 embody a massaging entrance passenger seat, USB-C ports entrance and rear, and even a fireplace extinguisher. There’s now extra customary gear than earlier than whereas higher-end trim ranges additionally include some goodies that have been beforehand supplied as optionally available options.

Kia will proceed to promote its range-topping mannequin with rear- and all-wheel drive together with a turbocharged 3.3-liter and naturally aspirated 3.8-liter V-6 engines. The large 5.0-liter V-8 NA mill was axed a number of years in the past. Prices begin on the equal of $43,800 and attain $64,200.

Chevrolet Corvette Resale Value: Is It Worth The Investment?

The Corvette has been a prime performer within the resale marketplace for a while. In a 2018 research by iSeeCars.com, a 2013 C7 Corvette positioned third behind the VW Golf R and Subaru Impreza WRX for having the bottom common five-year depreciation amongst sports activities automobiles. The C8 Corvette additionally claimed the highest spot in Kelley Blue Book’s Best Resale Value Awards for 2021. With a predicted resale worth of 49.5% of the unique sticker worth after 60 months of possession, the C8 Corvette outperformed perennial rivals like the consistently high-resale-value Porsche 911, which might promote at 48.9% of its sticker worth after 5 years, and the 2021 Dodge Charger Scat Pack, which bought at 47.9%. 

Crucially, the upfront value of a Corvette can be considerably decrease than a few of its rivals. A base Porsche 911 Carrera bought for $91,100 in 2018. The 2018 ‘Vette value simply $55,495. With persistently low-cost buy-in and low depreciation, used Corvette patrons simply have to resolve which Corvette model is the coolest. Notably, for patrons whose tastes run to the traditional, old-school ‘Vettes could be much more rewarding. A mint 1953 C1 Corvette may fetch wherever from $50,000 to a mindblowing $700,000. Not dangerous for a automobile that bought new in 1953 for below $3,500, the equal of $40,000. 

Mercedes Has Cancelled That Weird Maybach SUV Sedan

Unveiled in 2018, the Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury isn’t any extra. German enterprise newspaper Handelsblatt stories the luxurious automaker has pulled the plug on what would’ve been half sedan, half SUV. The thought was to mix the 2 hottest physique types in China and create a brand new section dubbed Sport Utility Sedan (SUS). As the cool children say these days, the idea did look a bit sus…

Three insiders cited by Handelsblatt say the mission has been both deserted or placed on maintain indefinitely. The determination was taken a number of months in the past, that means the manufacturing model will not see the sunshine of day, regardless of the earlier plan being to have the automotive on sale in China round 2025. It was presupposed to be constructed solely in Beijing on the EVA2 platform utilized by the EQE / EQE SUV and EQS / EQS SUV.

The Cupra Born VZ Is An Electric Hot Hatch With 322 HP

Spun off from the Volkswagen Group’s SEAT model in 2018, Cupra is introducing its first electrical efficiency car. The sporty by-product is predicated on the Born compact mannequin and will get the “VZ” suffix, which is an acronym for “veloz”—Spanish for “fast.” The model’s first-ever EV will get a wholesome energy enhance and different upgrades.

The rear-wheel-drive electrical scorching hatch makes use of an upgraded motor delivering 322 horsepower and a large instantaneous torque of 402 pound-feet (545 Newton-meters). These output figures characterize an enormous enhance of 94 hp and 235 Nm (173 lb-ft) over the earlier most potent variant of the Cupra Born. Courtesy of the newly unlocked electrical oomph, the VZ variant shaves off a full second from the dash to 62 mph (100 km/h), which now takes 5.7 seconds. Top pace has gone up by 25 mph (40 km/h) to 124 mph (200 km/h).

This Was President Biden’s Cadillac ATS-V, And Now It Can Be Yours

Forget politics for a second. It’s onerous, however this black 2018 Cadillac ATS-V is value your greatest efforts. With 464 horsepower driving the rear wheels, it is a stout sports activities sedan able to hanging with the BMW M3, and it would not look dangerous in black with a brown leather-based inside. That’s how Joe Biden ordered this automobile again in 2017, and sure, we’re speaking about President Joe Biden. Now, it is up for public sale at Cars & Bids.

According to paperwork included within the itemizing, Biden visited Delaware Cadillac in Wilmington again in 2017 with eyes on an ATS-V. He was the previous vice chairman at that time, and based on different paperwork within the public sale, he modified his safety standing so he might drive in public. That led him to the ATS-V we see right here, and a majority of the 15,894 miles had been gathered throughout his possession by 2020. Or reasonably, his stewardship. This was a lease, not a purchase order.

The presidential connection is not the one factor that makes this automobile particular, nonetheless. Biden was eager on having a Raven Black ATS-V with the Kona Brown leather-based inside, however Cadillac did not provide Kona Brown on its hottest ATS trim. It seems, being a distinguished political determine within the US comes with some perks, as outlined by much more documentation proven within the public sale itemizing. To sum up a veritable sea of company emails, strings had been pulled to grant Biden’s request and the result’s this one-of-one ATS-V.

As for the bronze wheels, these are from a CT4-V Blackwing and had been added by Delaware Cadillac after the automobile was turned in. The itemizing additionally notes some minor bodywork carried out in spots, which the vendor (Delaware Cadillac) states was truly paintwork to repair minor scratches. Beyond that, the ATS-V additionally has a Renick Performance entrance grille and rear bumper trim, tinted home windows, and suede on the steering wheel and shifter.

Options-wise, it has Cadillac’s Luxury Package and the Safety & Security bundle, which does not embrace bulletproof doorways however does have a heads-up show, amongst different issues. Shifting is finished by an eight-speed automated.

Will the presidential historical past and one-off standing ship this ATS-V right into a bidding struggle? We noticed Donald Trump’s former Lamborghini Diablo VT not too long ago fetch over $1 million at public sale. The ATS-V is not an Italian V12 supercar, but it surely definitely has no scarcity of followers within the efficiency fold. Bidding is already at $29,046 with six days nonetheless to go. Any guesses as to what the ultimate worth will likely be? 

Inside The Phenom 300E: One Of The Most Popular Private Jets

The Phenom 300E (E for enhanced) was first created in March 2018. A really unique mannequin (solely 19 of them have been flying around the globe by the next January, in accordance with Flying journal), it changed the usual Embraer Phenom 300, first licensed by Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency in 2009. By May 2021, AIN reported 600 of the plane had been delivered worldwide and had achieved an astonishing mixed complete of 1.2 million miles of flight.

The Phenom 300, in its unique guise, packs Pratt & Whitney PW535E1 engines right into a streamlined package deal (the cabin is simply over 17 toes lengthy and accommodates as much as 10 passengers) that also gives appreciable efficiency. It’s able to Mach 0.80 and cruises at as much as 464 ktas (Knots True Airspeed). It’s additionally licensed as much as 45,000 toes.

Meanwhile, the Enhanced Phenom is not a fantastic technical leap above its predecessor. The household’s technical specs are definitely appreciable, however the E mannequin’s developments deal with a moderately completely different facet of the plane. One that certainly contributes to its recognition as a personal jet: Its inside design. It gives one thing moderately particular for its occupants, as you’d certainly count on.

Iconic Motorcycle Marque BSA Could Be Coming To India In 2025

In 2018, iconic British motorbike model BSA was acquired by Indian automotive large Mahindra Group. Since then, we’ve been seeing fairly a number of improvements from the long-lasting British model, most of which centered across the UK and a few neighboring European markets. It goes with out saying {that a} model like BSA will maintain quite a lot of heritage within the world stage, and that the model’s growth into the worldwide market is certainly considerably overdue.

While basic bike followers within the US eagerly await the return of the BSA model, of us in India may not have to attend so lengthy. A latest report by our pals at AutoCar Professional means that Classic Legends, Mahindra’s motorbike arm, is planning a serious growth for BSA within the Indian market. More particularly, the BSA model is reportedly set to enter India in 2025, and much more curiously, enterprise into the electrical automobile phase.

Classic manufacturers taking over the electrical scene are nothing new. We’ve seen it with Royal Enfield’s massive plans for electrification, in addition to EV prototypes and ideas from the likes of Triumph and BMW. In the case of BSA, its growth initiatives will definitely be fueled by a large Rs 8.75 billion (roughly $105 million) funding from Classic Legends. Said capital injection will reportedly be used to diversify BSA’s product vary, whereas on the identical time put up extra sellers and repair facilities throughout India and different key markets.

While India certainly performs a key function within the growth of BSA, as it’s certainly owned by an Indian firm, Classic Legends is eyeing growth past its dwelling nation. More particularly, Classic Legends hopes to ascertain a presence for the renewed BSA model in key markets equivalent to Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. To fulfill the wants of those markets, the corporate’s manufacturing facility in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh may even obtain an improve, particularly to cater to the manufacturing of electrical bikes.

When it involves the choices of BSA within the Indian and Asian market, Classic Legends CEO Ashish Joshi defined that the corporate is certainly contemplating the event of twin-cylinder engines. However, it was famous that the demand for such is fairly low in India, as most small-to-mid displacement bikes within the retro and basic phase are powered by single-cylinder engines.

Ultimately, BSA will align its priorities to the preferences of the native market. Indeed, that is key, as Joshi envisions BSA to be the second-largest model in India’s mid-size motorbike phase, subsequent to none aside from Royal Enfield – fairly an aspiration, as RE has world gross sales in extra of 850,000 items.