Rolls-Royce Opens its Largest Dealership in the World in Abu-Dhabi

The United Arab Emirates are known for their love of superlatives, so it comes as no surprise to find out that the world's largest Rolls-Royce showroom has just opened in Abu-Dhabi.

Located in the Umm Al Nar area of the city, the new facility was unveiled in the presence of Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös. The showroom has an area of 900 square meters (9,688 sq-ft) and can display five cars. The unit has an also new dedicated service facility, a coffee bar and a customer configuration lounge where future Rolls-Royce owners can specify their cars to their taste through a variety of color, trim samples and options.

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Rolls Royce Ghost / 200EX Online Configurator

The public debut for Rolls Royce's new, smaller-sized and lower-priced luxury sedan isn't due until the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, but nevertheless, the BMW Group-owned British firm has created an online configurator for the Ghost's preview model, the 200EX concept study. Judging by the most recent spy shots, there aren't any visible differences (at lease none of any importance) between the Ghost and the 200EX, so what you see here, is what you'll be able to get in a few months time.

If you feel like fooling around with the 200EX configurator that allows you to change the exterior and interior colors of the Rolls, click the link below and then choose 'Design' and after that, 'Visualizer'

Rolls Royce Ghost to Feature "Intelligent" Air Suspension System

As we're getting closer to the Frankfurt motor show, Rolls Royce is releasing further technical details on its new 'baby' model. This time, the British automaker revealed that like the larger Phantom, the 2010 Ghost will make use of an "intelligent" four corner air suspension system and multi link aluminum front and rear axles that promise to offer driver and passengers alike the ride of the their life - or so to speak.

"The Ghost will be as refined and as cosseting as anything that this marque has ever produced," said Rolls-Royce CEO, Tom Purves. "But it will have a dynamic vitality afforded to it due to the latest technology and engineering techniques. We are very proud of our engineering team's achievements with Ghost. The balance of refinement and dynamic ability is astonishing," he added

Rolls Royce claims that the newly developed air suspension system is so sensitive that it can detect even the smallest of changes, including the movement of a single rear passenger from one side of the seat to the other, and compensate accordingly.

The system uses an on-board computer that reads multiple inputs from sensors around the car with the dampers alone making individual load calculations every 2.5 milliseconds. Rolls Royce said that the air suspension system also incorporates a so-called "lift and kneel" function, raising or lowering the Ghost by 25mm. This can either assist those folks that have a problem getting in or out of the car -or at least that's what the company suggests...- or allow the Ghost to travel over rough ground.

In an earlier release, Rolls Royce revealed that the Ghost will be powered by a new 6.6-liter V12 engine churning out "more than 507HP". Series production of the new Rolls will begin in late 2009.

Rolls Royce 200EX: Baby Rolls to get New 6.6-Liter V12 Turbo with over 500HP

Rolls-Royce CEO, Tom Purves announced new details on the firm's forthcoming entry-level 'baby' sedan that was previewed in Geneva in early March as the near-production 200EX concept, at a press conference in New York where the car is currently being shown to potential customers on the first leg of a world tour. Codenamed PR4, the four-door luxury sedan will be powered by a brand new 6.6-liter turbocharged V12 engine unique to Rolls-Royce delivering an output in excess of 507 horsepower.

The new V12 engine that is also said to find its way under the bonnet of the latest generation BMW 7-Series, will be matted to an 8-speed automatic ZF gearbox. The British firm claims that the new drive-train will significantly improve fuel and CO2 efficiency over the larger Phantom series of cars.

Speaking at the event, Tom Purves said, "There has been a great deal of interest in this car since we first talked about producing a new model series in the autumn of 2006 and the reaction 200EX received at its unveiling at Geneva was very positive. As we move another step closer to the start of production at Goodwood, it is exciting to be able to share some of the specific technical details with customers and the media."

"The RR4 will deliver an authentic Rolls-Royce experience to owners, so expect peerless comfort and build quality. However, we have consciously engineered this car to be more involving and dynamic for those owners around the world that will wish to drive it themselves," he concluded.

The production version of the 200EX concept will be officially revealed at this September's Frankfurt Show with sales commencing in early 2010.

Rolls-Royce 200EX: Details and 43 High-Res Photos of BMW 7 Series-Based 'Baby' Rolls

This is the Rolls-Royce 200EX, a study for a smaller and more affordable luxury sedan than the Phantom that will officially be revealed at next month's Geneva Motor Show. Even though Goodwood bosses would like us to believe that the 200EX is an "experimental car", what you see here is what you'll get this fall when the British firm unwraps the production version at the Frankfurt Show.

Codenamed 'PR4', the four-door luxury sedan from Goodwood is loosely based on the BMW 7-Series with which it shares approximately 20 percent of all components including a modified version of the platform, electrics and suspension hardware. The 200EX, whose production name has yet to be revealed, will be equipped with an all-new V12 engine that will also find its way under the hood of the BMW 7-Series.

Measuring at 5,399 mm in length, the 200EX is 187 mm longer than a LWB 7-Series (5,212 mm) but nearly half-a-meter shorter than the Phantom (5,83m). It's exterior styling is evidently influenced by Rolls-Royce's flagship sedan, but due to its more compact dimensions and clearer lines, the 200EX looks more like a car and less like a tank. As anticipated, Rolls-Royce designers maintained the Phantom's characteristic suicide doors on the 200EX

"The 200EX is a modern execution of timeless Rolls-Royce elegance, breaking with some areas of tradition but retaining the core values that make our marque unique," says Rolls-Royce CEO Tom Purves. "We expect the more informal, agile design to broaden the appeal of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, attracting people who appreciate its fusion of refinement, new technology and contemporary style."

Within the 200EX, the cabin's design is more contemporary and less obtrusive than that of the Phantom. As with any Rolls-Royce, the 200EX gets high-quality materials and that special attention to details. One thing that caught our attention but is not mentioned on the press release, is a large rotating knob on the lower part of the centre console that appears to be similar to BMW's i-Drive (U-Don't) system.

Following the introduction of the production version at the Frankfurt Show this September, the Rolls-Royce 200EX will go on sale worldwide in early of 2010.