Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced today that its first app for iPhone and iPod touch is now available on the App Store. The app allows potential customers and enthusiasts to configure their own Ghost, the new model from Rolls-Royce.
The Rolls-Royce Ghost App allows users to choose from many thousands of design combinations available to Ghost customers at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars dealerships. Available exterior options include twelve standard paint finishes, three different wheel styles, visible exhausts as well as a Silver Satin bonnet, an option exclusive to Rolls-Royce Ghost. The car’s interior can be specified in eight different leather colours and five veneer designs, including contemporary woods such as Dark Wenge and Malabar. After designing their ideal Ghost, users can save their designs in a virtual garage.
The new Ghost App also provides a gallery of Ghost images and films as well as a function to search for the nearest Rolls-Royce Motor Cars dealer. For users with an interest in the technical details of the car, the app features a specifications section.
The Rolls-Royce Ghost App is available now for free from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore.
Jaguar is continuing the celebration of its 75th anniversary with a strong entry at the 2010 Mille Miglia revival event. The company is represented by a total of 27 vehicles from around the world, including an impressive ‘works team’ of classic XK120, C-type and D-type models supported by Jaguar Cars and the Jaguar Heritage Trust.
Jaguar’s strong representation at the 2010 Mille Miglia builds on a long connection with the race. Back in 1950, the company fielded a four-strong team of XK120s, and a young Stirling Moss took the wheel of a works car the following year.
“The Mille Miglia is one of the world’s premier driving events, and one where Jaguar has always felt very much at home,” said Mike O’Driscoll, Managing Director of Jaguar Cars, who will be piloting one of the famous C-type racers in this year’s competition.
“Our association stretches back to the 1950s, when XK120 and XK140s were a regular sight and C-types and even a D-type also competed. This year I am proud to see another very strong contingent of classic Jaguars.” he added.
Lincoln buyers give the 3.5-liter EcoBoost™ V-6 engine some of the highest customer satisfaction scores ever for Lincoln
Sales of EcoBoost engine-equipped vehicles continue to meet or exceed company expectations
EcoBoost is attracting younger, more affluent buyers to Ford and Lincoln Mercury showrooms
DEARBORN, Mich., May 4, 2010 – Ford Motor Company’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine is not only bringing new, more affluent customers into Ford and Lincoln Mercury showrooms, it also is delivering some of the highest customer satisfaction scores for overall engine performance the company has ever seen.
“We are winning import buyers with EcoBoost,” says Amy Marentic, Ford’s North American group marketing manager for cars and crossovers. “Even better, this new customer is younger and more affluent.”
Drivers of EcoBoost vehicles say they are more than satisfied with the overall performance of their engines, according to the Global Quality Research System (GQRS) study conducted by the RDA Group of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
In rating their EcoBoost engines, 100 percent of Lincoln MKT buyers surveyed said they were satisfied with their engine’s performance, including power and pickup.
Meanwhile, 99 percent said they were satisfied with their engine’s overall operation. Ninety-one percent of Lincoln MKS buyers were satisfied with their engine’s performance, while 94 percent were satisfied with their engine’s overall operation.
The new five-cylinder 2-litre turbodiesel introduced in the all-new Volvo S60 is now available throughout Volvo Cars’ model range – and there are upgraded six-cylinder petrol engines too.
“The new engines offer greater driving pleasure across the range. What is more, our strong drive to reduce carbon dioxide emissions means that fuel consumption has been cut as well,” says Magnus Jonsson, Senior Vice President Product Development at Volvo Cars.
The new five-cylinder D3 is in principle the same engine as the well-established 2.4-litre diesel, but its displacement has been reduced with a shorter stroke to optimise fuel consumption.
The engine has been optimised for low fuel consumption and the injection system has a different type of piezoelectric fuel injector compared with the D5 engine. These injectors minimise consumption with exceptionally rapid and precise injection pulses under high pressure. This promotes extremely efficient combustion.
In order to give the car better driving properties, the turbocharger has been fine-tuned to provide high torque from low revs.
In the Volvo S80, V70, XC70 and XC60 the newly developed 2-litre diesel engine produces 163 hp and 400 Nm of torque. In these models the engine is badged the D3.
LOS ANGELES, March 2010 – For the watch enthusiast with a passion for innovation and ingenuity, the new must-have timepiece is the Tread 1. This engineering masterpiece, the debut watch from the new line of timepieces from Devon, is a big, bold, sexy declaration of independence from the status quo.
The Tread 1ʼs unique functionality reinvents the watch, extending far beyond the boundaries of traditional watchmaking. The movement of the Tread 1 is a mesmerizing display of Devonʼs patented interwoven system of time belts. This series of belts expresses hours and minutes in exacting motion, while the seconds indicator runs in continuous motion. To ensure temporal accuracy, a proprietary optical recognition system monitors each belt position at all times.
The sleek, bold Tread 1 has a unique aesthetic unlike any other timepiece. Design inspiration for this luxury watch came from industrial conveyor belts and motorcycles.
Four extremely compact microstep motors, powered by a lithium polymer rechargeable cell that will run for up to two weeks on a single charge, drive the movement of the four belts with efficiency, exacting power and steadfast accuracy. The belt assemblies are mounted on a central chassis, which allows for the perfect clearance of the moving parts and also creates the illusion that the parts are floating within the case. Fiber-reinforced glass nylon allows for belts that are only 2/1,000 of an inch thick while being strong and stable enough to ensure continuous accuracy.
The design of the Tread 1 tested the limits of current watchmakers, so Devon went to an industry experienced in pushing the limits of engineering, physics and even gravity. Devon enlisted a California aerospace engineering company to help develop the intricate technology required to support the revolutionary movement of the Tread 1. As Devon founder Scott Devon says, “In the aerospace industry, people go to work every day to make the impossible happen.” Working with California-based talent also syncs with Devonʼs other mandate: “Our timepieces will be wholly developed and manufactured in the U.S. in order to capture the unique character of American dreams.” To articulate this vision and launch the brand, Devon enlisted the expertise of Peter Arnell of world-renowned multidisciplinary brand and product invention firm Arnell to oversee brand identity and communications. As Chairman of Arnell, Peter Arnell spearheaded strategic brand planning and ideation, including logo design, digital brand identity, website, brochure and collateral design.
