Showing posts with label phantom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label phantom. Show all posts
Monday, August 24, 2015
Rolls-Royce Phantom Serenity
V12 / 6.749 cc / 460 PS / 531 lb/ft (720 Nm) @ 3.500 / 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 6,1 s / Vmax: 149 mph (240 km/h) / one-off collector piece, handcrafted for the Geneva International Motor Show
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Rolls ROyce nears final build of it's new Technology and Logistics Centre.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars confirmed today that construction of the company’s new Technology and Logistics Centre at Bognor Regis, close to the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, West Sussex, is well underway and on track for a successful launch in early 2016. In celebration, a new Rolls-Royce Wraith drove onto the construction site, marking the first time that one of the super-luxury manufacturer’s motor cars has been present at the new facility.
The Technology and Logistics Centre is located on the Oldlands Farm Business Park on the northern edge of Bognor Regis, eight miles from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
The new 30,000m2 facility will provide logistics support to the company’s manufacturing plant and head office at Goodwood, West Sussex for current and future models, and consolidate three current operations: an inbound warehouse for production parts, a distribution centre - including an inbound body store and finished car store - and a workshop.
Described by commentators as ‘Putting the Regis back into Bognor Regis’ at the time of the announcement, the Rolls-Royce Technology and Logistics Centre site has been identified by Arun District Council as part of its ‘Enterprise Bognor Regis’ initiative.
The area is being developed as a new premier business location in West Sussex, reserved for mixed office, industrial and supporting development to deliver a new generation of buildings in a high quality environment to sustain both newly established and growing businesses. Rolls-Royce is the first major business to take advantage of the initiative.
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, said, “The construction of our Technology and Logistics Centre is well underway and on track. This considerable investment reflects the ongoing success of our business and demonstrates our full commitment to building our future here in West Sussex.”
He continued, “Rolls-Royce Motor Cars makes a significant positive impact on the local economy and our business is a British luxury manufacturing success.”
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has recently announced that the Company will produce a new drophead tourer in 2016, and confirmed development of a high-bodied car, with an all-new aluminium architecture that can cross any terrain.
Further updates on the construction of the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Technology and Logistics Centre will be published later this year.
Rolls Royce Motor Cars shares "The Limelight" with Phantom customers.
British engineering ingenuity and artistic creativity have proven to be the inspiration behind the naming and creation of the latest Bespoke Phantom Collection to emerge from the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom Limelight Collection has been conceived for that select group of people who spend their lives in the public eye and on the world stage. Its name was inspired by the origin of a British invention which became synonymous with fame.
The limelight effect was originally discovered in the 1820s by Sir Goldsworthy Gurney, a prototypical British gentleman scientist and inventor of the Victorian era. It was harnessed to revolutionise illumination in the theatres of London’s Covent Garden, highlighting leading actors on the stage, thus leading to the phrase, ‘in the limelight’.
“In creating the Rolls-Royce Phantom Limelight Collection, our designers have delivered authentic luxury by thinking deeply about the lifestyles of the powerful people who operate in the public eye and move swiftly from engagement to engagement as part of their daily life,” explains Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
“The result is a beautiful, discreet motor car in which those for whom the world is waiting can prepare, relax and arrive in the finest luxury and style.”
In common with its sister Phantom Serenity, which was unveiled to the world at last month’s Geneva Salon, Limelight proves once again why Phantom is considered ‘the Best Car in the World’.
The Bespoke designers at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood have used their deep understanding of the habits and behaviours of those powerful people, who make and influence world-changing decisions every day, to create a collection of 25 super-luxury motor cars that cater directly to their busy lives like no other car maker can.
Limelight’s wholly new approach to luxury once again sets the benchmark by delighting the most demanding and exacting people in the world – Rolls-Royce customers. Once again Bespoke IS Rolls-Royce.
Prepare, Relax, Arrive
Thinking about the lifestyles of many of their clients, who spend considerable amounts of time travelling in the rear compartment of their Phantoms, the Bespoke design team at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars knew they could, in the words of Sir Henry Royce, “take the best that exists and make it better.”
Whilst mass-luxury car manufacturers simply offer a means of conspicuously getting from A to B in some luxury, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars seeks to understand and exceed the demands of super-luxury customers who are always on the move, preparing to arrive for their next big life moment.
With this in mind they have created the “Phantom Suite” comprising unique personalised rear door panniers to ensure cherished personal possessions fall easily to hand for preparing for the next engagement, and a new luxury seating configuration in which to relax in before arriving.
Phantom Limelight has thus been conceived as the ultimate travelling companion as its owner moves from major event to momentous occasion, helping them to Prepare, Relax and Arrive for their moment in the limelight in consummate Rolls-Royce luxury.
Authentic luxury on the move
Authentic luxury is only achieved through ultimately understanding the needs and desires of the most discerning patrons in the world – Rolls-Royce customers.
From their deep understanding of this specific group of super-luxury clients, the Bespoke design team behind Limelight understood that a number of very human emotions and needs mattered: easy access to one’s favourite, personal possessions in order to prepare for the coming engagement; the opportunity to relax in ultimate luxury once ready and an impactful arrival.
For these select people, Phantom Limelight is their very personal concept of authentic luxury.
Prepare
A unique personalised rear door pannier has been designed to ensure cherished personal possessions fall easily to hand. Ladies’ and Gentleman’s panniers are offered to the customer who can personalise their Phantom Limelight with door panniers that best suit their gender preferences.
The Ladies’ and the Gentleman’s panniers can also be personalised to suit what particular personal possessions are required for the occasion.
In the standard configuration, the Concealed Fragrance Holder for three individual fragrances is located in the top left pocket of the Ladies’ pannier whilst in the Gentlemen’s pannier the concealed section holds watches.
The concealed panel opens at an effortless push of the hand.
The top right pocket, which is open, contains the fragrance bottles in the Gentlemen’s pannier whilst in the Ladies’ are two watch or jewellery holders.
The fragrance bottles, which ensure the passenger always has the right fragrance available to them whatever the time of day, are handmade in the famous Bresle Valley in North West France – home to 75% of the world’s luxury bottles for perfumes and spirits.
The bottom left pocket houses a universal vanity pouch made of the finest materials, with space for credit cards, business cards, spectacle storage or makeup, whilst Ladies’ and Gentleman’s Accessory Z-Boxes, constructed from carbon fibre, milled in aluminium and hand covered in the finest leathers, complete the door pannier.
Once the passengers have prepared for their engagement by choosing their preferred accessories, they sit back and relax in the new Rolls-Royce seat until they reach their destination.
Relax
The optimum position for relaxing in luxury and safety in the rear compartment of a motor car whilst on the move has long been a subject of debate.
Whilst some mass-luxury car makers have gone so far in their wish to install an aircraft-style flat-bed seat in the rear that they have had to created safety devices to compensate for the resulting body posture, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars engineers and ergonomists have worked closely with the medical profession to establish the optimum seat position that relaxes the body most whilst in motion.
The result is the new rear seat to feature first in Phantom Limelight.
The Phantom Limelight seat back reclines the body by a recommended 27° helping to rest the head on the headrest cushion. Lower down the body, a new calf rest raises electrically by 68° to support the calf, whilst a foot rest emerges out of the floor to raise the feet up to 30°, all contributing to the perfect relaxed posture in motion.
Also contributing to the passenger’s relaxation is the choice of two compartment trims as well as several new Bespoke features.
The Light contrast scheme features Seashell with Navy Blue Contrast Leather and Seashell tone-on-tone stitching, whilst the Dark contrast scheme offers Navy Blue with Seashell Contrast Leather and Navy tone-on-tone stitching.
Complex embroidery inspired by a diamond shape, in homage to the legacy of great Rolls-Royce motor cars of the past, has been applied to the central seat flutes, door cards, rear console and for the first time to the Picnic Table backs.
Unique to this Collection and a first for Phantom, is a two-veneer finish that shows off the unique skills of the woodworkers at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
Piano Seashell specific to this collection is applied to the door cappings, blending the veneer with the leather schemes. Smoked Chestnut completes the colour scheme, the first time that this veneer has been used in Phantom.
A specially created Limelight Bespoke Clock draws influence from the rich Gala Blue paint exterior and the diamond motif design that runs throughout the collection.
Arrive
Prepared and relaxed, our passengers arrive for their next engagement clad in the rich but stealthy Gala Blue of Phantom Limelight.
Rolling to a halt on its unique nine-spoke alloy wheels, the beautiful motor car features a Seashell and Navy Blue hand-painted coachline with a diamond motif, creating a three dimensional illusion of a diamond bracelet draped over the surface of the car.
The Phantom Limelight Collection of 25 cars will be available to order immediately from Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers around the world.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
BMW Group announces Income, sales and profits for the full financial year.
- New highs for sales volume, revenues and earnings in first quarter
- Group revenues up by 14.7% to € 20.9 billion
- Profit before financial result 20.6% higher at € 2.5 billion
- Profit before tax improved to approximately € 2.3 billion
- Automotive segment EBIT margin of 9.5%
- Earnings outlook for current year confirmed
Group revenues grew significantly by 14.7% to € 20,917 million (2014: € 18,235 million). Profit before financial result (EBIT) for the three-month period rose by 20.6% to € 2,521 million (2014: € 2,090 million), thanks to strong performances by the Automotive, Motorcycles and Financial Services segments.
The EBIT margin for the Group was 12.1% (2014: 11.5%). Profit before tax(EBT) improved by 5.1% to € 2,269 million (2014: € 2,159 million). Net profit came in at € 1,516 million (2014: € 1,458 million), 4.0% ahead of the previous year's first quarter.
Automobile sales volume of the BMW Group climbed by 8.1% to 526,669 units (2014: 487,024 units), thus setting a new record for the period. "We have got off to a good start in 2015", commented Norbert Reithofer, the Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG on Wednesday in Munich.
Automotive segment: EBIT margin at upper end of target range
Automotive segment revenues increased by 14.1% in the first quarter to € 18,893 million (2014: € 16,559 million) due to the increase in sales volume and changes in the fixed exchange rates. EBIT climbed by 13.5% to € 1,794 million (2014: € 1,580 million).
The EBIT margin in the Automotive segment was unchanged at 9.5% and is therefore in the upper half of the targeted range of between 8 and 10%. Profit before tax amounting to € 1,634 million (2014: € 1,643 million; -0.5%) was at a similar level to the previous year. Earnings were held down by a number of factors, such as fair value losses recognized on commodity derivatives.
The BMW brand also recorded a new sales volume high, with 451,576 units (2014: 428,259 units; +5.4%) sold during the first quarter. Tailwind came from numerous models, including the BMW X5 and the 4, 5 and 6 Series, each of which achieved the pole position in their relevant segments.
The BMW 2 Series recorded a total sales volume of 27,930 units (2014: 2,608 units) in the period from January to March. Sales of the BMW 3 Series remained at a high level, with 107,283 units (2014: 116,671 units; -8.0%) sold during the period. As the Convertible and Coupé models are now part of the BMW 4 Series, the previous year's high level was not quite achieved. Sales of the BMW 4 Series more than doubled in the same period to 36,545 units (2014: 17,709 units).
The various models of the BMW X family also remain very popular. First-quarter sales of the BMW X4 totalled 13,925 units. The BMW X5 recorded a 29.7% jump in sales volume to 40,242 units (2014: 31,025 units), while the BMW X6 increased sales by 4.7% to 9,588 units (2014: 9,160 units).BMW i remains on the road to success, with a total of 6,636 units (2014: 2,022 units; +228.2%) sold in the first quarter.
MINI , too, recorded a new high for first-quarter deliveries to customers, registering a sales volume of 74,312 units (2014: 57,868 units), 28.4% up on the previous year. Sales of the MINI (3 and 5 door) more than doubled to 47,922 units (2014: 17,860 units).
In the ultra-luxury segment, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars achieved the second-best first-quarter sales volume performance in its history, with 781 units delivered to customers (2014: 897 units; -12.9%), including 310 units (2014: 305 units; +1.6%) of the Rolls-Royce Ghost.
In line with its strategy of a balanced distribution of worldwide sales, the BMW Group recorded sales volume growth in all major sales regions.
In Europe, sales of the Group's three automobile brands increased by 9.6% to 234,849 units (2014: 214,210 units). Sales volume was 3.4% higher in Germany at 64,610 units (2014: 62,502 units). The number of vehicles sold in the United Kingdom grew by 15.1% to 53,534 units (2014: 46,500 units).
A total of 166,678 units (2014: 158,582 units; +5.1%) was sold in Asia, including sales on the Chinese mainland which grew by 6.4% to 115,078 units (2014: 108,143 units).
In the Americas region, sales volume climbed by 9.9% to 109,743 units (2014: 99,840 units), with sales in the USA rising significantly by 12.6% to 91,479 units (2014: 81,248 units).
Motorcycles segment records new highs
The Motorcycles segment continues to perform well. Segment revenues for the three-month period grew by 20.1% to € 567 million (2014: € 472 million) on the back of good sales volumes and a high-value model mix. EBIT rose by 79.7% to € 115 million (2014: € 64 million), while profit before tax advanced by 81.0% to € 114 million (2014: € 63 million). Sales volume climbed by 9.2% to 31,370 units (2014: 28,719 units). The figures reported for earnings and sales volume represented new first-quarter highs. The upward trend in business has been further boosted by the new BMW R 1200 R, R 1200 RS, S 1000 RR, S 1000 XR and F 800 R models, which have been in the showrooms since March.
Another successful quarter for Financial Services
The Financial Services segment continued to perform well during the period from January to March, recording new first-quarter highs. Segment revenues were 23.9% higher at € 6,058 million (2014: € 4,890 million), while profit before tax rose by 23.4% to € 559 million (2014: € 453 million). The segment result benefited in particular from favourable exchange rate developments.
In total, 384,565 (2014: 348,072) new financing and leasing contracts were signed during the first quarter, 10.5% more than in the previous year. The number of lease and financing contractsincreased by 6.0% to a total of 4,419,817 contracts (2014: 4,170,318 contracts).
Workforce increased
The size of the workforce grew by 5.5% compared to the end of the previous year's first quarter. Overall, the BMW Group had a worldwide workforce of 117,554 employees at the end of the reporting period (31 March 2014: 111,378 employees). The BMW Group continues to recruit engineers and other skilled workers, in order to keep pace with rising demand for BMW Group vehicles, push ahead with innovations and develop new technologies.
BMW Group reaffirms targets for the full year
The BMW Group can look ahead to the rest of the year with confidence, thanks to its attractive range of models. Economic conditions in some regions will, however, continue to pose challenges. The situation on the Russian automobile market, for instance, is likely to remain difficult. The ongoing process of normalisation of the Chinese automobile market is also likely to continue, resulting in less dynamic growth.
The BMW Group forecasts rising personnel costs over the course of the current financial year as well as ongoing upfront expenditure for further growth and new technologies. The political and economic environment is also expected to remain volatile.
The BMW Group expects tailwind in 2015 due to its attractive model range, the market launch of 15 new models and model revisions and because of the forecast positive development of international automobile markets.
The BMW Group reaffirms its targets for the full year. "We are aiming to achieve solid growth in 2015, and hence new record figures for sales volume and profit before tax", commented Reithofer. The BMW Group also predicts that it will remain the world's leading manufacturer of premium vehicles in 2015.
Automotive segment revenues are forecast to grow significantly due to the increase in sales volume and exchange rate factors. The company had previously expected a solid growth in revenues. The EBIT margin in 2015 is forecast to remain within the targeted range of between 8 and 10%.
The BMW Group forecasts that the Motorcycles segment will continue its upward trend in the current year, helped by positive contributions from the new models launched in time for the start of the biking season. Sales of BMW motorcycles over the year as a whole are forecast to grow solidly.
The Financial Services segment should also continue to perform well throughout 2015. Despite rising equity capital requirements worldwide, the BMW Group forecasts a return on equity (RoE) in line with the previous year’s level (2014: 19.4%), thus remaining ahead of the target of at least 18%.
The BMW Group's forecasts for the financial year 2015 are based on the assumption that political and economic conditions remain more or less stable.
The BMW Group – an overview | 1st quarter 2015 | 1st quarter 2014* | Change in % | |
Sales volume | ||||
Automotive | units | 526,669 | 487,024 | 8.1 |
Thereof: | ||||
BMW | units | 451,576 | 428,259 | 5.4 |
MINI | units | 74,312 | 57,868 | 28.4 |
Rolls-Royce | units | 781 | 897 | -12.9 |
Motorcycles | units | 31,370 | 28,719 | 9.2 |
Workforce1 | 117,554 | 111,378 | 5.5 | |
Revenues | € million | 20,917 | 18,235 | 14.7 |
Thereof: | ||||
Automotive | € million | 18,893 | 16,559 | 14.1 |
Motorcycles | € million | 567 | 472 | 20.1 |
Financial Services | € million | 6,058 | 4,890 | 23.9 |
Other Entities | € million | 2 | 2 | - |
Eliminations | € million | -4,603 | -3,688 | -24.8 |
Profit before financial result (EBIT) | € million | 2,521 | 2,090 | 20.6 |
Thereof: | ||||
Automotive | € million | 1,794 | 1,580 | 13.5 |
Motorcycles | € million | 115 | 64 | 79.7 |
Financial Services | € million | 555 | 465 | 19.4 |
Other Entities | € million | 40 | 10 | - |
Eliminations | € million | 17 | -29 | - |
Profit before tax (EBT) | € million | 2,269 | 2,159 | 5.1 |
Thereof: | ||||
Automotive | € million | 1,634 | 1,643 | -0.5 |
Motorcycles | € million | 114 | 63 | 81.0 |
Financial Services | € million | 559 | 453 | 23.4 |
Other Entities | € million | -23 | 57 | - |
Eliminations | € million | -15 | -57 | 73.7 |
Income taxes | € million | -753 | -701 | -7.4 |
Net profit | € million | 1,516 | 1,458 | 4.0 |
Earnings per share2 | € | 2.30/2.30 | 2.22/2.22 | 3.6/3.6 |
*Prior year figures partially adjusted in accordance with IAS 8
1 Figures exclude dormant employment contracts, employees in the work and non-work phases of pre-retirement part-time working arrangements and low wage earners
2 Earnings per share of common stock/preferred stock
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