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RollsRoyce

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Presents Contemporary Commissions at Festival of Speed

  • Rolls-Royce Motor Cars showcases contemporary expressions at Festival of Speed
  • Collection presented on Festival’s Laundry Green, adjacent to Goodwood House
  • Rolls-Royce Spectre, the marque’s first fully-electric car, will be on display at the event
  • Rolls-Royce Spectre will take to the fabled Hillclimb

Each year, automotive enthusiasts gather at the prestigious Festival of Speed to celebrate motorsport. This event takes place in the magnificent grounds of the historic Goodwood House, located near the Home of Rolls-Royce. For Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, this event is always important, and this year is particularly significant as it will mark the first display of their all-electric luxury super coupé, Spectre, at the Festival of Speed. Spectre is highly anticipated and represents a transformative moment for the brand. Alongside Spectre, Rolls-Royce will also showcase a captivating collection of motor cars created exclusively for this year’s festival. This event will provide an opportunity to connect with esteemed clients, dealer partners, and media friends.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars will have a contemporary presence at this year’s Festival of Speed. A stunningly commissioned Phantom, Ghost, Cullinan, and Spectre will be displayed on the Festival’s Laundry Green, near Goodwood House. Each car will demonstrate the brand’s unparalleled craftsmanship. This year’s festival is also significant as Rolls-Royce celebrates 20 years of production at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood.

Rolls-Royce Spectre

In 2021, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars made a historic announcement by introducing Spectre, an all-electric super coupé. This marked the brand’s commitment to electric technology, with a plan to make their entire portfolio fully electric by 2030. Spectre has undergone rigorous testing, covering a distance of 2.5 million kilometers. Last October, the car was unveiled at the Home of Rolls-Royce in West Sussex, and received positive feedback from opinion leaders worldwide. The first customer deliveries are expected in the fourth quarter of 2023. This year’s Festival of Speed will showcase Spectre for the first time, featuring a two-tone Chartreuse and Black Diamond finish. The car’s exterior is enhanced by twenty-three-inch wheels, a unique addition to a two-door coupé in nearly a century. The interior includes chartreuse appointments and a calming color palette of Grace White and Peony Pink.

Aside from its display, Rolls-Royce Spectre will participate in the famous Hillclimb at Goodwood.

Rolls-Royce Phantom

Phantom Extended represents the epitome of luxury, boasting an exquisite interior suite, impressive design, and extensive personalization options. This car will occupy a prominent place on the Festival’s Laundry Green, showcasing the brand’s commitment to extraordinary craftsmanship. The inspiration for this commission came from the world of yachting, a passion shared by many Rolls-Royce clients. The car features a Submariner Blue exterior, reminiscent of the deep ocean hues. Inside, the nautical theme continues with a Navy finish for the steering wheel, seat belts, and front interior, while the rear interior boasts a Selby Grey finish with Sunset stitching. Phantom also offers a unique Gallery, allowing patrons to display their favorite artworks. For this yachting-inspired commission, an embroidered gallery resembling yacht rigging has been created. Rolls-Royce will also present a bespoke luggage collection in Navy and White, complementing the nautical theme.

Rolls-Royce Cullinan

The highly skilled artisans, designers, and engineers at Rolls-Royce drew inspiration from the pop-art movement of the 1950s and 1960s to create a unique expression of the Cullinan for this year’s Festival. Finished in Gunmetal, with a double Coachline and Coachline Motif in Phoenix Red and Serenity Green, this expression exemplifies contemporary luxury combined with unrivaled craftsmanship. The interior showcases a geometric Red pattern throughout, showcasing the extensive bespoke capabilities of the brand. Striking Red brake callipers harmonize with the Phoenix Red Coachline and enhance the car’s exterior presence.

Rolls-Royce Ghost

The latest iteration of Rolls-Royce Ghost will be showcased at the Festival of Speed in a stylish expression. Presented in Iced Arctic White, this car radiates luxury, style, and grace. The exterior design demonstrates the brand’s surface expertise, while the interior appointments in Black and Iceland Moss create a vibrant aesthetic. The Mandarin seat piping adds a touch of color. Additionally, a Rolls-Royce Ghost in Salamanca Blue has been chosen as the Course Car, and a Cullinan in Dark Emerald will serve as the Safety Car.

Motorsport

The Global Industry Revealed 43 New Production Vehicles In Q2 2023

Between April and June of this year, a total of 43 completely new passenger vehicles were introduced. These figures only include new generations or models launched during that period, excluding facelifts or major restylings, and disregarding the specific date of the vehicle’s presentation.

Half Are Chinese

Nearly half of the new reveals in the second quarter came from China, with a total of 19 presentations. This is an increase of two cars compared to the first quarter. It comes as no surprise, considering the numerous brands in the Chinese car market, that the country has a significantly higher number of new car introductions compared to other countries.

Following China, Germany had the second highest number of new car unveilings in Q2 2023, with five. Sweden followed with two. Overall, Europe presented a total of nine new cars: Renault Rafale (France), Smart #3, Volkswagen ID.7, Mercedes E-Class sedan and wagon, BMW 5 Series (Germany), Cupra Tavascan (Spain), and Polestar 4 and Volvo EX30 (Sweden).

India presented four new cars, while Japan presented five. The United States had only two cars, namely the Lincoln Nautilus and Toyota Tacoma. Mexico also launched two cars: the Chevrolet Aveo sedan and hatchback. Finally, Indonesia and Brazil each revealed one model, namely the Toyota Yaris Cross for Southeast Asian markets and the Ram Rampage.

Motor1 Numbers New Cars 2023

Toyota Reveals Seven

As the world’s largest automobile manufacturer, Toyota is one of the busiest in terms of product presentations. In Q2 2023, they unveiled a total of seven new models. Toyota continues to renew and expand its range in order to maintain its position as the global sales leader.

During this period, Toyota introduced the fourth-generation Tacoma for the North American market and the Yaris Cross for emerging markets. Lexus, Toyota’s premium division, also revealed new models. They unveiled the second generation of the LM, a luxury minivan for Asian and European markets, the Lexus LBX for Europe and select Asian markets, the Lexus TX for the North American and Middle Eastern markets, the third generation of the Lexus GX mainly for North America and the Middle East, and finally the fourth generation of the Alphard for Asian markets.

General Motors followed Toyota with five new introductions, three for China and two for Mexico. Geely, a Chinese automaker with multiple brands, presented four new models, including the Geely Boyue, Lynk & Co 08, Polestar 4, and Volvo EX30. Great Wall Motors also introduced a new car.

Motor1 Numbers New Cars 2023

SUVs Are More Than Half

The dominance of SUVs in the automotive industry is confirmed by the high number of new SUV models. According to global coverage (excluding LCVs and Iran), 61 percent of the new production vehicles introduced in Q2 2023 were SUVs. This percentage is even higher than the global market share of SUVs in passenger vehicle sales.

Out of the new production vehicles, 25 were SUVs, with 13 coming from China, four from Europe, three from India, three from Japan, and one each from Indonesia and the United States. Sedans, hatchbacks, wagons, MPVs, pickups, and sports cars accounted for the remaining new vehicle introductions.

Motor1 Numbers New Cars 2023

The author of the article, Felipe Munoz, is an Automotive Industry Specialist at JATO Dynamics.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen Group Prioritizes Profitability and Cash Flow through Strategic Alignment and Performance Programs

Volkswagen Group is undergoing a strategic alignment to strengthen its profitability and cash flow. During its Capital Markets Day, the Group introduced leadership principles that emphasize customer orientation, entrepreneurship, and team spirit. The Group has assigned the responsibility for achieving return targets to each of its brands. For the first time, each brand will launch its own performance program with a focus on strengthening profitability, cash flows, and reducing capital intensity. This marks a shift from pure volume growth to prioritizing sustainable value creation based on the “value over volume” principle. The Group is also realigning its architecture, battery, software, and mobility services to fully leverage economies of scale. Regionally, Volkswagen is focusing its investments on the most lucrative profit pools globally, refining strategies for growth markets like China and North America. With a brand-focused approach and performance programs, the Group aims to achieve a strategic return on sales target of 9 to 11 percent by 2030.

“Our focus is on implementation, speed, and performance,” says Oliver Blume, CEO of Volkswagen Group. He further emphasizes the importance of clear priorities, operational and strategic focus, and the benefits this realignment brings to customers, investors, and the team.

The new steering model introduces direct responsibility for financial targets, strategy, and brand identities to the brands. The performance programs, managed at the brand group level, provide a framework for further development. By shifting the focus from volume to value creation, the brands aim to strengthen market positioning and improve performance in terms of margins, product mix, and vehicle features. Additionally, the brands will explore new business models such as mobility services to tap into additional profit opportunities. To support this, the Group will optimize economies of scale and implement cost-saving measures in various areas.

Volkswagen Group has adopted a new approach that prioritizes sustainable value creation over volume growth. Arno Antlitz, CFO and COO of Volkswagen Group, explains that the steering model focuses on profitability, lower fixed costs, and disciplined investment. The aim is to strike a balance between brand emotional power and scale benefits provided by technology and services offered by the Group.

The realignment also includes an explicit designation of the brand groups, which will be named Core, Progressive, Sport Luxury, and Trucks. This move aims to reinforce the Group’s commitment to technology platforms that provide an exceptional customer experience. The platforms cover architecture, battery, software, and mobility services allowing the brands to leverage scale benefits and increase profitability. In terms of technology, Volkswagen Group plans to establish the group-wide platform SSP by 2024, alongside competitive architectures such as PPE and the second-generation MEB+. The battery strategy and ramp-up of PowerCo will enhance flexibility and competitiveness through the Unified Cell concept.

CARIAD, the Group’s internal software supplier, will support the launch of new electric vehicles like the Porsche Macan and Audi Q6 e-tron. The next-generation E³ 2.0 will be developed in collaboration with CARIAD, VW, and Audi in a Software-Defined-Vehicle hub, reinforcing Volkswagen Group’s commitment to digitalization and e-mobility.

Volkswagen Group aims to strengthen its financial robustness and has set specific key performance indicators (KPIs) for each brand group, as well as the CARIAD and PowerCo technology platforms. The KPIs focus on operating results, return on sales, net cash flow, cash conversion rate (CCR), and investment ratio. The Group plans to develop its management incentive scheme further to include selected financial targets for brand and brand group performance. The Group’s sales growth target is set at 5 to 7 percent annually until 2027 and will be aligned with industry developments thereafter. The strategic return on sales target is expected to reach between 9 and 11 percent by 2030.

Volkswagen Group is also refining its regional strategies, particularly in China and North America. In China, the Group aims to maintain its position as the most successful international OEM by developing products tailored to the Chinese market. In North America, Volkswagen Group plans to expand its market share by investing in new electric vehicles and establishing a battery cell factory in Canada. Additionally, the relaunch of the Scout brand will focus on all-electric vehicles in the high-margin pickup and Rugged SUV segment.

The Capital Markets Day serves as the kick-off for a closer engagement with the capital market. Volkswagen Group plans to host further events to provide investors and analysts with more detailed information about brand group strategies, technology areas, and regional approaches.

Volkswagen

First preview of the new ID.7 GTX: a long-distance limousine with more power and all-wheel drive

Three weeks ago, Volkswagen presented the new ID.7 as an all-electric limousine for the upper mid-size class. The most dynamic model variant will now follow in late summer with the world premiere of the ID.7 GTX. Equipped with the latest drive generation of the ID. models, the dual-motor all-wheel drive system and a host of sporty design elements, the long-distance limousine is a high-performance model. The launch of the new GTX model is planned for the IAA Mobility in Munich (5–10 September 2023).

Black and red stand for GTX. In the interior, details such as the red GTX contrast stitching on the seats, dash panel and doors emphasise the sportiness of the model. The exterior design, on the other hand, is characterised by black gloss elements. Together with the standard black roof paint finish and the darkened windows, these features ensure that the upcoming ID.7 GTX will also enjoy a powerful and distinctive appearance.

GTX – fine-tuned for efficiency and driving pleasure. Like on the previous GTX models ID.4 and ID.5, the vehicle dynamics manager is responsible for intelligent control of the dual-motor all-wheel drive system in the ID.7 GTX. This software, developed in-house by Volkswagen, always aims to achieve the optimum combination of efficiency, dynamics and driving stability. The vehicle dynamics manager controls not only the powertrain, but also all braking, steering and chassis control systems, depending on the selected driving profile. The limousine’s running gear and steering have been fundamentally enhanced on the basis of the modular electric drive (MEB) platform and offer a large bandwidth between comfort and sportiness thanks to the possibility of driving profile selection. This underlines the ID.7 GTX’s status as the flagship model in the ID. family.

GTX as a formula for success. The sporty GTX brand with its all-electric performance models has been part of Volkswagen’s portfolio for two years now. The dynamic vehicles combine electric mobility, sustainability and intelligent sportiness. Their sporty design also emphasises the special character and recognition value of the high-quality GTX models.