Future models - Rolls-Royce - GhostFirst look: Bouncing ‘baby’ Roller set for GenevaRolls-Royce 200EX designed to chase a younger clientele20 Feb 2009 IT MIGHT be Rolls-Royce’s new ‘baby’, but that doesn’t mean it is small. The Rolls-Royce 200EX production-ready concept, to be unveiled at the Geneva motor show on March 3, is larger in most critical dimensions than parent company BMW’s new long-wheelbase 7 Series flagship with which it shares some underpinnings. The long-awaited V12 four-door saloon is the basis for a new model series due for production next year, slotting under the 2003 Phantom and becoming the second all-new model to reach production since BMW took the helm. The final production model – to be christened at the Frankfurt motor show later this year – is expected to be priced between $400,000 and $500,000 when it goes on sale in 2010. At 5399mm long, the big baby Roller is 187mm longer than the stretch ‘L’ version of the BMW 7 Series. The wheelbase is also 85mm longer at 3295mm. To be built at Rolls-Royce’s Goodwood plant, the new car will be powered by a “new-generation” V12 engine, no doubt sourced from BMW. With styling that is almost racy compared with the Phantom, designers have set out to broaden the appeal of Rolls-Royce. However, it shares family design cues and signature features – such as the rear-hinged rear doors – with the bigger Roller. The “coach” doors open through 83 degrees, offering what Rolls-Royce calls “the widest rear access in the car industry as well as providing the warmest of welcomes to those about to step inside”. At the front, a pair of LED headlamps flank the latest evolution of the world’s most famous grille, which designer Ian Cameron described as “less reminiscent of the traditional ‘Parthenon’ style and more like a jet intake.” “200EX is a touring saloon with more than a little panache and perhaps more bravado than one might have expected from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars,” Mr Cameron said. While the interior retains the leather-and-wood drawing-room of all Rolls-Royces, the design team says the 200EX has been modernised for a new, contempory ambience. The 200EX name – which will not make it into production – echoes the nomenclature of experimental Rolls-Royce cars since the first – 1EX, built in 1919 – to the most recent, the 101EX, in 2006. The show car, which is said to be near-identical to the production model, is finished in Darkest Tungsten, with silver satin finishes on the bonnet and A-pillars. Meanwhile, the flagship Phantom is also getting a lift, with a facelift set to go into production in the next few weeks. Rolls-Royce says its designers have harmonised the front the car with that of the Phantom Drophead Coupé and Phantom Coupé, giving the sedan a new streamlined front bumper integrated with a shallower grille finished in stainless steel. Bigger 21-inch alloy wheels are standard, and two other wheels designs in forged alloy are optional, in either painted or part polished finishes. Door handles get LED illumination, while rear-seat passengers will have a new auxiliary audio and visual connectivity to the 12-inch monitors mounted in the picnic tables. New front and rear door cappings with integrated grab handles and new bi-directional double reading lights in the C-pillar provide additional illumination. Controls for the rear climate control, volume control and electric windows have been repositioned, in a wood veneer panel in the door. Read more:First look: Rakish new Roller is no babyFirst drive: Phantom opera rolls on with Coupe Drophead gorgeous: New Roller flagship hits Oz All future modelsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chery Brabham Chrysler Chevrolet Cupra Citroen DS Dodge Fiat Ferrari Foton Ford Great Wall FPV Haval GWM Honda Holden Hummer HSV Infiniti Hyundai Jaguar Isuzu Kia Jeep Land Rover Lamborghini Lexus LDV Mahindra Lotus Mazda Maserati Mercedes-AMG McLaren MG Mercedes-Benz Mitsubishi Mini Opel Nissan Peugeot Pagani Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen Ghost pricing
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