Rolls-Royce Phantom in full bloom
A Rolls-Royce Phantom has been commissioned by a Stockholm-based entrepreneur with an extraordinary passion for flowers. The result is a flora-theme interior created with a million embroidered stitches. The Rose Phantom takes its inspiration from a rose garden in Rolls-Royce's facility in Goodwood. This garden is apparently the only place in the world that the Phantom Rose is grown. It is bred exclusively for Rolls-Royce by British Rose breeder Philip Harkness.
BMW Group to add Android Auto to cars next year
BMW Group will introduce Android Auto in its cars from the middle of next year. Android Auto will allow BMW owners to connect their Android smartphones wirelessly with their vehicles. Android Auto is said to be a simpler, safer way to use a smartphone in BMW vehicles, making it easy to access music, media and messaging apps.
FCC approves proposal to use auto-safety airwaves for Wi-Fi
The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has moved towards letting mobile devices take over airwaves long assigned to car makers for vehicle safety, advancing a plan opposed by highway officials focused on cutting crash deaths.
The FCC on a check 5-0 vote on Thursday proposed devoting most of the auto-safety airwaves to broadband uses, including Wi-Fi for routers, with most of the remainder of the swath going to a new cellular connected-vehicle technology, Bloomberg reported. A sliver may be kept for a legacy safety system that has not developed as expected when the airwaves were assigned in 1999.
The measure needs a second vote to become effective, following a comment period.
The frequencies were reserved two decades ago by the FCC to link cars, roadside beacons and traffic lights into a seamless wireless communication web to help avoid collisions and alert drivers to road hazards, among other uses. The system could help stem what advocacy group Consumer Reports called "an epidemic" of road deaths that topped 36,000 last year.
But over the years, deployments have been few.
A bigger Mercedes-Benz GLA
The new Mercedes-Benz GLA is shorter but wider and taller than its predecessor. In fact, at 1,616mm, it is more than 100mm taller. Its wheelbase has grown by 30mm to 2,699mm.
It gets typical off-road styling cues, such as an upright front section, short overhangs and protective cladding all round. All-wheel-drive variants get downhill driving assist and an off-road animation in the media display.
The range-topping GLA35 is powered by a 2-litre turbo making 306hp regulated by an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Upgraded Jaguar I-Pace gets range and battery capacity boost
Jaguar has tweaked the electric I-Pace's software to gain an additional 20km of real-world range. Enhancements are delivered through optimisation of battery management, thermal systems and all-wheel-drive torque improvements. The software upgrade, free to all I-Pace owners, will also add enhanced software-over-the-air functionality.
Ford to use McDonald's coffee waste in car parts
Ford Motor and McDonald's USA will soon be giving vehicles a caffeine boost. Coffee chaff - the dried skin of the bean - comes off during the roasting process. Chaff can be converted into a durable material to reinforce certain vehicle parts. By heating the chaff to high temperatures under low oxygen, mixing it with plastic and other additives and turning it into pellets, the material can be formed into various shapes.
The resulting components will be about 20 per cent lighter than those made from conventional materials, and require up to 25 per cent less energy during the moulding process.
Limited-edition McLaren 620R
The McLaren 620R is a road-legal version of the McLaren 570S GT4 race car. Only 350 will be made and each will be powered by a 3.8-litre biturbo V8 with 620hp and 620Nm, making it the most powerful car in the McLaren Sports Series.
With aerodynamics of the 570S GT4, the car develops 185kg of downforce at 250kmh. Carbon ceramic brakes, centre locking wheels, low-exit stainless-steel sports exhaust, lowered suspension with wider track, and manually adjustable GT4 dampers are part of the package.
