Audi exclusive and Audi collection: Audi Sport GmbH leaves no wish unfilled
[source: Audi AG]
Audi collection accessories and the Audi exclusive customization program also contribute to the success of Audi Sport. For example, Audi Sport GmbH offers numerous equipment packages that include, among other features, red stitching for nearly all models in Audi’s portfolio. At the same time, the Audi exclusive team focuses on meeting customers’ individual needs.
From custom paint jobs and luxurious interior options with high-quality leather, embroidered decorative stitching, and selected woods to limited special editions – the wide range of options means practically no wish goes unfulfilled. This goes down well with customers the world over: In 2023, Audi exclusive made eleven strictly limited special editions and customized one in three Audi R8 models.
The Audi exclusive vision: To translate Audi customers’ customization concepts into attractive personal offers and provide them with a unique experience. This extends to new digital solutions, such as the “Audi exclusive Customizer,” a 3D visualization tool that customers can use to design their cars in thousands of individual combinations to create their own personal special edition.
With the Audi collection, Audi Sport GmbH creates a brand experience for customers and fans that goes beyond the automobile. The Audi collection implements high-quality lifestyle collections with unmistakable Audi DNA tailored to our customers’ lifestyles. As part of the global licensing business with the Audi brands, the Audi collection creates evocative products together with the license partners, such as the RS Q e-tron from LEGO Technic. With Audi corporate fashion and employee outfitting for trade fairs and events, the Audi collection always ensures a brand-appropriate appearance. The Audi stores in the Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm forums bring the Audi lifestyle world to life and are an integral part of our visitors’ customer journey.
Batur showcases new technology delivering welcome animations projected from the door
Designed to project a ‘light through cut crystal’ effect on the road below
First automotive application to use digital light processing to produce ground based animated illumination when entering a car
Light sculpture, the next step in Bentley’s design language, first shown on EXP100 GT in 2019
Three coloured light sources reflect through ten lens and an advanced Digital Micromirror Device (DMDTM), sculpting the shape of the light to produce the animation
The animated light curation is projected via 415,800 microscopic mirrors that are each one fifth the width of a human hair
The DMDTM is less than 8mm2, with the complete light sculpture system being slightly larger than two AA batteries
Mulliner enables customers to co-create bespoke animations with colours to match their car
[source: Bentley]
Crewe, England – The new Bentley Batur – the handcrafted, coachbuilt coupe from Mulliner – showcases a new technology that delivers welcome animation sequences projected to the ground from the door.
Bentley Motors has spent the last 100 years providing customers with exceptional luxury cars formed in metal, wood and leather. Looking to the future, light will be the fourth material that will play a significant part in Bentley’s design language, as originally demonstrated by the 2019 concept car EXP100 GT with its illuminated front grille.
Batur provides the first glimpse of light craftsmanship and the endless opportunities it could provide for luxury digital personalisation. Advanced Digital Light Processing (DLP) has been innovated to produce an animated welcome image when the door of the car is opened, in this case showcasing the Batur’s design and profile that is projected on to the floor.
The new projection system brings the potential for a customer to curate a bespoke welcome animation for their car, offering a true first step into digital personalisation.
This is the first automotive application using DLP technology, which can be found in advanced headlights and head up display systems, to welcome occupants to a car. The projection system that makes this possible uses three coloured light sources projecting through five different lens and two prisms into a highly advanced 8mm2 Digital Micromirror Device (DMDTM). The light signal is then focused through five further lenses, displaying the animation on the ground when the doors open.
The DMD™ device is a small silicone chip that consists of 415,800 tiny mirrors. Through the movement of the mirrors, a moving image can be produced. The mirrors themselves are made of aluminium and are 16 microns in width – a fifth of the width of a human hair. As the size of the mirror and hinge is so small they can react thousands of times per second with each mirror delivering one pixel in the animation.
The image is created by sculpting the light from the coloured light sources and previous lenses and hitting the mirrors in the ‘on’ position. All mirrors in the ‘off’ position reflect the light into a heat sink within the projector that absorbs the light. The light leaving the DMDTM chip travels through five further lens and focuses on the floor.
This new feature is the next step of a journey where Bentley Mulliner continues to innovate and push further the boundaries of technology, to offer customers an even more unique luxury personalisation experience.
Three bespoke Bentaygas inspired by the ‘Bentley Girls’ of the 1920s
Mary Petre Bruce, Dorothy Paget and Diana Barnato Walker each played an extraordinary part in building the Bentley story
Details taken from Mary Bruce’s 4½ Litre, Dorothy Paget’s supercharged Blower and Diana Barnato Walker’s Spitfire aircraft
Designs incorporated into one-of-one Bentayga S, Azure and EWB specifications
Unique materials and details honour the stories of these powerful women
Bentley celebrates project with female ideation, designers and implementation throughout pushing ‘Extraordinary Women’ program further
[source: Bentley]
Crewe, England – In honour of International Women’s Day and the wider Women’s History Month, Bentley Motors is excited to announce three special Bentayga specifications to celebrate the famous ‘Bentley Girls’: Mary Petre Bruce, Dorothy Paget and Diana Barnato Walker.
Two bespoke designers – Emma Carruthers and Georgia Gough – commissioned three unique interpretations inspired by the amazing women that held defining roles in the brand’s 105-year history. While the Bentley Boys may have set the pace, the Bentley Girls refused to take a back seat, making their mark in inimitable Bentley style. Now, their lives and achievements are celebrated in three one-off Bentayga specifications, with the Bentayga’s go-anywhere luxury a perfect match for the incredible lifestyles they led.
Each unique specification incorporates special design cues from the storied past of each Bentley Girl defining a modern interpretation of their vehicle of choice today.
Karen Lange, Bentley’s Member of the Board for Human Resources, comments:
“The Bentley Girls each played a crucial role in Bentley’s history and it is important to bring their involvement to light. We are always striving to expand the ‘Bentley Family’ and sometimes that means looking back and honoring important people who brought so much meaning to the Bentley brand we know today. These three cars are an homage to the lives of the Bentley Girls, and the contributions they made to the Bentley we know and love today.”
Mary Petre Bruce: Born For Speed
The Bentayga Azure celebrating Mary Petre Bruce is inspired by the 4½ Litre Bentley she drove at Montlhéry, France for 24 hours on 6 June 1929, to capture the world record for single-handed driving, averaging more than 89 miles per hour. Mary had never driven a Bentley until the day of the record attempt and had to borrow cushions from the official timekeepers so she could reach the pedals. Despite fog, cold and treacherous track conditions she covered 2,164 miles in 24 hours.
In the same year she set a powerboat record for the fastest double-crossing of the Channel before buying herself an aircraft and learning to fly in just six weeks. Then she set off on a solo round the world flight, breaking record after record on her way – becoming the first woman to circumnavigate the world alone.
The Mary Petre Bruce Bentayga Azure features Parson Green Pearlescent Paint over matching heritage hide, both a direct connection to her 4½ Litre. The interior features 24-karat gold organ stops, aligning with her winning mentality and lavish lifestyle. Mother of pearl crossbanded veneer is also included – a nod to a celebrated quote from Mary: “I was never keen on overalls or slacks, but always drove in a blouse, tailored skirt and a string of pearls”. Further inspiration from her 4½ Litre includes vertical fluted quilting seat uppers and doorcards as well as Mother of Pearl Marquetry reading ‘YV 7263’ – the number plate of the car she drove. A finishing touch is a chequered flag D pillar badge alongside Blackline Specification, reflecting the sporting minimalism of the 4½ Litre’s design and as a tribute to Mary’s racing past.
Dorothy Paget and the Blower Bentley
Dorothy Paget played a vital role in the creation of one of the most iconic Bentleys; the 4½ Litre Supercharged, commonly known as the Blower Bentley. While other young ladies prioritised finding a suitor, Paget focused her passion for speed and power. Her interest in motor racing first developed on a visit to Brooklands, where she took driving lessons from Bentley Boy and racing driver Sir Tim Birkin. He described her as one of the finest women drivers he had ever come across, ‘capable of handling any make of racing car produced in this country or abroad.’
By 1929, Birkin had become obsessed with driving more performance from the Bentley 4½ Litre. He was convinced that Amherst Villiers’ supercharger was the way to do it, and despite the opposition of W.O. Bentley himself, Dorothy Paget sponsored a racing team of supercharged Blowers. Four 4½ Litre Supercharged Blowers were built, and Birkin’s team competed alongside Bentley’s Works team at Brooklands and Le Mans. The #2 Team Car, raced by Birkin himself at Le Mans in 1930, has since become the most famous, most iconic and most valuable Bentley in the world – a car of legend, despite never winning a race.
The Dorothy Paget Bentayga Extended Wheelbase (EWB) Mulliner features solid Blower Green Exterior paint over minimal color split interior hide of Cumbrian and Blower Green – colour-matched to Team Car #2 itself. The EWB Mulliner – the pinnacle of the Bentayga range – was chosen to express and showcase Dorothy’s extraordinary lifestyle. There are further inspirations from the Bentley Blower which she helped create, including Nickel Painted Self Levelling Wheel Accent Bezels and Painted Nickel Veneer Carriers to the interior – both a reference to the Blower’s radiator. To the inside, engine spin aluminum fascias echo the dashboard of the Blower.
Diana Barnato: Bentley’s Flying Lady
Daughter of three-time Le Mans winner Woolf Barnato, Diana Barnato Walker inherited her father’s flair and courageous spirit. She was an accomplished horsewoman and keen motorist, driving a Dove Grey Bentley 4¼ Litre Park Ward saloon.
Like Mary Petre Bruce, flying became Diana’s lifelong passion. She flew solo at the Brooklands Flying Club in 1938 after only six hours of instruction and joined the Air Transport Auxiliary in 1941, delivering aircraft from the factories to front-line squadrons. It was a dangerous job – she had to navigate herself without any ground contact, as the radio frequencies were reserved for the frontline squadrons. Famous for her glamorous appearance and exceptional flying skills, by the end of the war she had delivered 260 Spitfires and numerous other aircraft to their squadrons.
The Diana Barnato Bentayga S is inspired by her favorite aircraft – the Spitfire – and so features a Smoke Green exterior and the interior hide split of green and saddle, referencing the Spitfire Mk9’s cockpit. Additionally, the car features a bespoke D Pillar badge with the Spitfire emblem and Signal Yellow accents replicating the colour of the wing’s leading edge.
Extraordinary Women
Bentley Motors’ Extraordinary Women initiative is a global mentoring programme that is committed to inspiring and developing the next generation of young female leaders, specifically female students in the fields of engineering, design, technology and business. The project supports Bentley’s Beyond100 strategy, including the aim for Bentley to become the most diverse luxury car company with colleagues as individual as its cars.
First ever Mulliner Bespoke Edition created for Indian market
Collection includes Continental GT Speed, Flying Spur Speed and Bentayga EWB Azure
A harmonious fusion of power, grace and natural beauty, with colours and materials featuring the Indian national colours of green and orange
First use of Scarab green paint from Mulliner coachbuild programme
Unique fascia design depicts wild horses and mountain peaks, traditional symbols of good luck and prosperity as per Indian feng shui
[source: Bentley]
Crewe, England – Five individually curated Bentley models, commissioned by a Bentley retailer, comprise the first Mulliner Bespoke Edition created exclusively for the Indian Market. All feature an extensive specification, with unique exterior and interior finishes inspired by the colours of the Indian flag. Each example is handcrafted in Crewe, England, by Mulliner, Bentley’s in-house personalisation and bespoke department.
The Opulence Edition for India is limited to just five vehicles: a Continental GT Speed, a Flying Spur Speed and three Bentayga EWB Azure models. All five are presented in Scarab Green exterior finish, an exclusive Mulliner development inspired by the iridescent green exo-skeleton of the Scarab beetle. Complemented by bespoke interior colourways of Mandarin and Cumbrian Green hide, each car is a tribute to India’s national colours.
Bespoke elements of the Opulence Edition
Although different in character, all five models in the Opulence Edition have key bespoke elements in common. All feature the lustrous Scarab Green exterior finish that was first developed for Bentley’s first coachbuilt barchetta, the Bacalar. Inside, the orange and green of India’s national colours are represented by upholstery of Mandarin main hide and Cumbrian Green secondary hide. The mirror-like Piano veneer of the fascia and trim is also finished in Cumbrian Green, with an inset chrome motif on the fascia of wild horses and mountain peaks. From the initial brief, designers and artisans painstakingly produced multiple depictions until the perfect composition was achieved. The design was ultimately hand-drawn, and carefully applied to the fascia using a chrome overlay technique. This unique colour and trim specification is the outcome of close collaboration between Bentley Mumbai and the Mulliner team, and celebrates the first-ever Mulliner bespoke edition created for the Indian market.
Performance delivered by the Opulence Edition Continental GT Speed
The 659 PS Continental GT Speed is the ultimate performance-focused iteration of the world’s benchmark luxury Grand Tourer, and the Opulence Edition complements its character perfectly. The Scarab Green exterior and 22” Speed wheels in dark tint finish focus one’s attention on its poised and muscular lines, while the LED welcome lamps, and self-levelling wheel centre badges are typical of Mulliner’s perfectionist attention to detail.
Open the driver’s door, and the full drama of the two-colour interior is revealed, with knurled switchgear and instrument bezels set on a fascia of Cumbrian Green in a piano finish. Contrast stitching in Mandarin picks out the lines of the upholstery and the diamonds of the quilted sections. The Opulence Edition Continental GT Speed was limited to one example, and this has already been delivered to its delighted owner.
The Opulence Edition Flying Spur Speed’s lavish specification includes diamond knurling on bezels and switchgear, Naim for Bentley audio and the unique Bentley rotating display. Throughout the cabin, the perforated, quilted seat upholstery is bordered by side bolsters with Mandarin contrast stitching and Speed-embroidered headrests.
This Bentley’s performance focus finds the perfect expression in the Opulence Edition’s Scarab Green exterior finish, complemented by 22” dark tint Speed wheels with self-levelling wheel centre badges. The illuminated Flying B radiator mascot is finished in polished stainless steel, providing a contrast to the dark tint brightwork of the Speed specification.
The pinnacle performance model of the Flying Spur line up is powered by a 626 bhp 6.0-litre twin turbocharged W12 engine, with Electronic All Wheel Steering, Torque Vectoring by Brake technology and Bentley Dynamic Ride as standard. Just one Opulence Edition Flying Spur Speed will be produced.
The Opulence Edition Bentayga EWB Azure
While the Bentayga EWB is more than capable of soul-stirring performance, the emphasis with the Opulence Edition is on space, wellbeing and abundant luxury. The Opulence Edition Bentayga, of which three examples will be made, comes in four-seat configuration with the Mulliner console bottle cooler separating the two rear seats. Contrast stitching in Mandarin runs around the lip of the fascia top roll, and around the edge of the Cumbrian Green seat bolsters, while contrast stitching in Cumbrian Green can be seen in the outer diamonds of the quilted seat inner areas and the Azure-embroidered headrests.
With the Bentley Dynamic Ride 48V active anti-roll control system providing the optimum balance between ride comfort, handling and body control, the Opulence Edition Bentayga EWB Azure provides a haven of calm and comfort.
Racing Green becomes the most popular Aston Martin colour choice
24% of new car buyers choosing one of the company’s nine shades of green
New data shows spike in new car orders in Aston Martin Racing Green following the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® team’s first podium of the 2023 season
Aston Martin has an iconic association with the colour green, from its early heritage in motorsport to today’s AMR24 challenger
[source: Aston Martin]
Gaydon, UK – Aston Martin’s iconic Racing Green (racinggreenmetallic; metallic UNI; AST1140; Aston Martin) has officially become the most popular colour choice amongst new car buyers, for the very first time.
As the eyes of the motorsport world turn to Bahrain for the first Grand Prix of the 2024 Formula 1® season, new retail data shows that nearly a quarter (24%) of Aston Martin customers are selecting one of the marque’s nine exclusive shades of green for their dream car, with the official Aston Martin Racing Green colour now the number one choice, ahead of traditionally popular paint colours such as Xenon Grey and Magnetic Silver.
Aston Martin Racing Green was introduced by the marque to celebrate its return to the pinnacle of motorsport in 2021 and proved an immediate hit with customers. Representing around 7% of new car orders in the immediate 12 months following Aston Martin’s return to the grid, the trend has consistently increased year-on-year, with 12% of new Aston Martins now adorned in the official Aston Martin Racing Green colour – almost twice as many as the second most popular exterior option, Xenon Grey (6.8%).
Fernando Alonso’s historic first podium for the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team at last year’s season-opener in Bahrain delivered a 29% increase in website traffic, while the team’s strong start to the 2023 season supported a spike in customer orders for Aston Martin Racing Green sports cars in April 2023.
Marco Mattiacci, Global Chief Brand and Commercial Officer of Aston Martin said: “Aston Martin was born out of racing, so 111 years on, it is fitting that this iconic brand sits at the pinnacle of motorsport, supercharging our ultra-luxury and high-performance credentials while engaging a passionate community.
“Our presence on the grid has propelled the brand onto the global stage, but also captured the imagination of loyal and new customers who are specifying more cars in green than ever before. Just as James Bond made the Silver Birch paint tone synonymous with DB5 and the brand more broadly, 60-years on, Aston Martin’s on-track success is putting Aston Martin Racing Green at the forefront of customers’ minds when purchasing their Aston Martin.”
Helped by Aston Martin’s main F1® livery colour and the company’s refreshed brand identity, demand for different shades of green has soared across its high-performance product portfolio. Aston Martin now extends its core colour palette to nine green variants, up from four offered at the beginning of 2021, prior to Aston Martin’s return to F1®. For discerning customers looking for a more exclusive palette of colours, the Q by Aston Martin bespoke division has helped customers specify cars in 30 unique shades of green, as well as providing match-to-samples capability for those wanting something entirely exclusive.
Boosted by the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® team’s success in 2023, claiming eight podiums and 280 Championship points, the global platform of F1® is attracting a new breed of customers to Aston Martin. 72% of buyers of the racing-inspired Vantage F1® Edition model launched in 2021 were new to the Aston Martin brand, while market research indicates that 88% of luxury car buyers interested in Formula 1® are more likely to buy an Aston Martin because of the brand’s involvement in the sport. In Aston Martin’s largest commercial market, the United States, 98% of customers also said that the brand’s F1®association makes their cars more exciting to drive.
In the 2023 season Aston Martin experienced a 20% increase in online configurations sent to dealers on race weekends, compared to non-race weekends. This was supported by becoming the first manufacturer to allow customers to digitally specify their dream car in the surroundings of a Formula 1® pit garage in Silverstone as well as on the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit.
Aston Martin’s iconic association with the colour green began many decades ago, following a tradition established in the early days of motorsport that teams would race in national colours, or in the case of British manufacturers, a colour that became known as British Racing Green. Since then, Aston Martin race cars have competed in various shades of green before resting on the now familiar green which adorns its Formula 1® cars on the grid.
Further building on the synergies between road and track, earlier this month, Aston Martin boldly launched its new Vantage sports car and Vantage GT3 racer on the same day as the marque’s new AMR24 Formula 1® challenger was unveiled ahead of its competitive debut at the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend.
-ENDS-
Note to editors:
2023 data is based on Aston Martin retail sales for 2023 model year core products (March 2023 – October 2023) including those specified in exterior colours of Aston Martin Racing Green and Satin Aston Martin Racing Green.
Comparisons since Aston Martin’s return to Formula 1® are based on retail sales of Aston Martin core products in Aston Martin Racing Green and Satin Aston Martin Racing Green from March 2021 – October 2023.
Individuality is at the core of the Porsche brand. There is therefore a large number of options already available for the new Panamera in the configurator to meet the customisation requirements of customers in this segment. In addition, Porsche’s overlapping customisation programmes Paint to Sample, Paint to Sample Plus and Sonderwunsch further broaden the already extensive standard range. Paint to Sample includes more than 50 predefined, technically approved colours for the Panamera. With the Paint to Sample Plus option, the paintwork can be chosen almost without restriction. This includes an extensive feasibility study.
Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur has developed a number of directly configurable options for the new Panamera. These include the SportDesign package including sill trims in Black or Turbonite as well as the SportDesign package in Carbon Fibre + Aerokit and special 21-inch wheels. Six shades are available for each of the Exclusive Design and Sport Design wheels. In addition, there are tinted HD matrix LED headlights and tail lights with both departure and welcome-home animation. A special Sports exhaust system with tailpipes in dark bronze rounds off the exterior options for the new Panamera from the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur.
Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur will also upgrade the interior on request. Interior packages in matt carbon with contrasts in Neodyme, Carmine Red or Ceramica can be configured directly. In addition, there are extended leather options, for example on the handles, the luggage compartment lid or the seat consoles. The leather-free finishes include the option of colour-coded decorative stitching and matching seat belts. The dial of the SportChrono cockpit watch can be configured in a matching Night Green on a Kalahari grey background. The GT sports steering wheel can be specified with a carbon trim on request. Even for vehicle keys and floor mats, Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur offers particularly high-quality options.
Panamera joins the Sonderwunsch programme
Beyond the directly configurable options, Porsche pursues a systematic approach to customisation. The Sonderwunsch programme from Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur combines the maximum individuality of a custom workshop with the uncompromising perfection of a large car manufacturer. Porsche has now brought the eponymous 1970s programme to the present day. It enables customer-created, personalised one-offs professionally implemented by Porsche.
The Sonderwunsch programme, which was restarted at the beginning of 2022, is comprised of three strands. First, customer-specific colour and material requirements in the interior and exterior can be integrated directly into the production run. The second strand is Factory Re-Commissioning. Here, it is possible to retrofit previously manufactured vehicles with new colour and material options according to special requirements. This is also possible after several years and in collaboration with Porsche Classic for classic Porsche vehicles. The third strand is the Factory One-Off option. At Porsche, this term describes cars that are not only customised or revised in terms of appearance, but also in terms of technology, at the customer’s request. The options range from a complete restoration to new technical developments. Depending on the vehicle’s age, the technical experts at Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur or Porsche Classic take care of implementation.
The implementation of special requests for the Porsche Panamera is carried out via Factory Re-Commissioning. The customer can become a co-project manager and work out their special wishes in close cooperation with Porsche designers and developers. They check the customer’s ideas for feasibility and work out the details with them, including technical certification. This ensures that the result meets all Porsche quality standards in every detail. The implementation takes place either directly after the production of the car or at a later stage – as desired.
Panamera Turbo ‘Sonderwunsch’ demonstrates the potential of the Sonderwunsch programme
Porsche demonstrated the almost unlimited options of the Sonderwunsch programme during the world premiere of the new Panamera. The Panamera Turbo ‘Sonderwunsch’ show car illustrates a number of possibilities. Specially created colour tones, individual accents and planning down to the last detail demonstrate the all-encompassing nature of the Sonderwunsch programme from Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur.
The demonstration model, customised by Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, was given a two-tone colour scheme in the specially mixed shade of Leblon Violet Metallic. This is a chestnut shade with a violet note. In an elaborate painting technique, the colour fades into a solid black in the lower third of the car. The door sills and front and rear spoiler lips are in solid black. The darkened headlights, tail lights and windows are perfectly matched, and the tailpipes were designed by Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur designers in Black. They also mixed real gold flakes into the car’s clear lacquer coating, creating a spectacular glitter effect.
The exterior of the Panamera Turbo ‘Sonderwunsch’ also features pinstripes in Avium Metallic with an integrated ‘Sonderwunsch’ logo. Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur also lacquered the face of the 21-inch centre-lock wheel rims and the frames of the side windows in this colour. In contrast, the rim base features the main shade of Leblon Violet Metallic.
INEOS Automotive has unveiled its third model line – the INEOS Fusilier.
The new 4X4 will offer two powertrain options to meet global consumer needs: An all-electric and a range-extender electric.
The vehicle will be slightly smaller than the INEOS Grenadier, offering world class performance on- and off-road, developed in conjunction with industry-leading automotive supplier, Magna.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman of INEOS says, “The Fusilier is a great looking vehicle, and the two powertrain options provide a real-world reduction in carbon emissions without compromise to the off-road capability or the on-road performance. We’re excited to bring our electric 4X4 to market but we are beginning to understand the clear limitations of battery electric in certain situations. We believe the addition of a range extender electric to our line-up will offer our customers a very low emission drive without the range anxiety drivers of electric vehicles experience today.”
[source: INEOS Automotive]
London, UK – INEOS Automotive has unveiled its brand new 4X4 vehicle, the INEOS Fusilier, following the confirmation of a zero-emission model line in May 2022. The new vehicle will deliver world-class off-road capability, with zero compromise to on-road performance, and offers both zero and low emission options.
Unveiled in London by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, it was confirmed that alongside the previously announced all-electric powertrain (BEV), a low emission range-extender electric is in development to ensure the INEOS Fusilier meets the broadest range of global consumer needs whilst pushing towards decarbonisation. The range-extender option consists of a small petrol engine that powers a generator to maintain the charge level of the battery for when external charging isn’t available. Confirmation of the alternative powertrain details and launch timings are expected by autumn 2024.
Developed in conjunction with industry-leading automotive supplier, Magna, which will also manufacture the vehicle in its facility in Graz, Austria, the INEOS Fusilier will represent a unique proposition for customers. Building on the Grenadier’s DNA with a modern direction and distinctive identity, the new 4X4 will be slightly shorter in length and slightly lower in height. It will be built on a bespoke skateboard platform with a steel top hat and underbody, and aluminium doors and closures.
INEOS partnered with Magna on the development of the Grenadier station wagon and Quartermaster pick-up. As one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers and independent contract manufacturers, Magna produces a number of conventional ICE, hybrid and electric vehicles for various automakers. Part of the development process for the INEOS Fusilier will include a rigorous testing programme on Austria’s Schöckl mountain, close to Magna’s complete vehicle assembly facility in Graz.
Demonstrating its wider commitment to future decarbonisation, INEOS Automotive also unveiled a Grenadier Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology Demonstrator at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2023. The Demonstrator proves that the technology for a hydrogen powered 4X4 is capable and ready for production, but the refuelling infrastructure needs to be in place before it is commercially viable.
About INEOS Grenadier In 2017, INEOS Chairman Jim Ratcliffe, a car enthusiast and experienced adventurer, identified a gap in the market for an uncompromising 4X4 engineered for modern day compliance and reliability. INEOS Automotive Limited was formed and a senior team of automotive professionals assembled to bring the vision to reality with a fresh perspective of 4X4 development and manufacturing.
In 2022 the INEOS Grenadier was launched: a truly global 4X4 built from the ground up that combines rugged British spirit and design with German engineering rigour. The Grenadier provides best-in-class off-road capability, durability, and reliability with the modern comfort and refinement customers expect wherever they are in the world. In 2023 a double-cab pick-up variant of the Grenadier was launched called the Quartermaster, and in February 2024 a third vehicle line called the INEOS Fusilier was unveiled which will offer two powertrain options to meet global consumer needs: an all-electric and a range-extender electric.
INEOS Automotive is a subsidiary of INEOS, a leading manufacturer of petrochemicals, speciality chemicals and oil products. It employs 26,000 people across 36 businesses, with a production network spanning 194 sites in 29 countries. From paints to plastics, textiles to technology, medicines to mobile phones, materials manufactured by INEOS enhance almost every aspect of modern life. In 2021, INEOS had sales of $65bn.
Unique customer commission for first-ever two-tone Bentayga EWB – then adopted as factory option 12 months early
Personal commission co-curated between customer and Mulliner
Stunning combination of Kingfisher, Mandarin and Imperial Blue
Mulliner represents the ultimate in Bentley personalisation – from unique finishes and colour combinations to limited edition coachbuilt vehicles
2023 saw a 43 per cent year-on-year increase in Mulliner customer commissions compared with 2022 – itself a record year
75 per cent of all new Bentleys now feature Mulliner content
Crewe, England – A striking, highly personalised duo-tone Bentayga EWB Azure V8 – the first of its kind – has been delivered to its expectant customers, having been crafted by hand by Bentley’s bespoke and personalisation division, Mulliner.
An example of the growing trend among Bentley customers for personal commissions, the car is a stunning example of a truly individual Bentley – the result of the free rein that a Mulliner commission provides. Among the unique features requested by the owners was a bespoke two-tone exterior finish, prompting Bentley Motors to bring forward its introduction of two-tone finishes for Bentayga EWB by 12 months.
Going beyond the tens of billions of specifications possible from the Bentley options list, Bentley customers are encouraged to participate in the design of unique vehicles, as part of a process that Mulliner terms ‘co-curation’. Vibrant colour schemes, bespoke materials and customised features are welcomed as a challenge in the Mulliner workshops by their team of designers and skilled artisans.
The ‘Kingfisher’ Bentayga EWB
A commission by a couple in Irvine, California for a Bentayga EWB is typical of the way a Bentley handcrafted by Mulliner can evolve. The customers originally visited Bentley Newport Beach to order a Bentayga EWB Azure V8 First Edition, intending to select exterior colours and interior finishes from the 46 billion different configurations available with the standard options range.
But with the help of Mulliner’s Design Manager, Phill Dean, the couple were soon inspired to let their imaginations roam free. They were instantly attracted to Kingfisher, a brilliant metallic electric blue finish, but felt it needed a contrast exterior colour to complement the Blackline styling specification. Conversations with Bentley’s Paint Shop established that a duo-tone would be possible, initiating a process to bring the launch of this option on Bentayga EWB forwards by a year.
“With a Mulliner commission, anything is possible,” explains Dean. “We started to discuss the specification in the showroom at Newport Beach, but it soon became clear that we needed more time to go over every tiny detail. We resumed the commissioning at the customers’ home – we finished at around 1.00 am” he recalls.
The ‘One of One’ edition Bentayga
The Bentayga EWB commissioned by the customers is a striking and individual creation, with a duo-tone exterior of Onyx (onyxblack; metallic UNI; 2T2T / 6935 / 9560161; Bentley) over Kingfisher Blue (kingfisher; metallic UNI; 6549 / 9560205; Bentley) conceived to dazzle in the California sunshine. Having established a base specification of the Azure wellness-focused package, complete with Blackline and Touring specifications, the couple also requested rear privacy glass and the deletion of Bentley lettering on the tailgate, being content to let the winged B badge speak for itself.
The Onyx finish chosen for the bonnet, roof and upper body is seamlessly integrated with the gloss black grille, front air intakes, wing vents, side coachlines and rear diffuser of the Blackline specification. It makes a dramatic contrast with the Kingfisher blue finish, while the dark roof and cabin creates a lower, sportier visual impression. The colour split is repeated in the 22” ten-spoke wheels with a painted finish in Kingfisher and Beluga. Self-levelling Bentley wheel badges add the finishing touch to the exterior.
A personal vision of luxury
The interior of this unique Bentayga EWB is as stunning as it is meticulously crafted, and the customers spent many hours exploring the palette of choice with Phill Dean. Their choices included the four-seat configuration with Bentley’s airline seat specification for the two rear seats, Naim for Bentley audio system and mood lighting. More vibrant however is the customers’ own vision of luxury, with a cabin in the dramatic combination of Mandarin and Imperial Blue leather. Light, contemporary and sustainable Open Pore Koa Veneer was chosen for the fascia, rear centre console, door inners and picnic tables. But it’s the flashes of Kingfisher accent hide that make the most dramatic impact, appearing on the seat bolsters, lower fascia, six o-clock tab on the steering wheel, gear lever and door trim. Kingfisher hide is also revealed on the upper surface of the picnic tables when extended.
A Mulliner key box provides security for jewellery and valuables and is delivered in a combination of Imperial Blue hide and Mandarin, with Imperial Blue Alcantara for the inner surfaces. Bentley seat emblems are embroidered in Kingfisher, with the same colour being used for contrast stitching throughout the cabin. Even the Imperial Blue overmats feature Kingfisher micro piping with Mandarin stitching and outer binding. Fittingly, the door treadplates are engraved with a “One of One” message bespoke to the customer.
A growing trend for personal commissions
The two-tone exterior finish chosen for this Bentayga EWB is now offered as a factory option, one of many examples where customers have helped to shape the company’s product options in colour and trim. Meanwhile, the trend for Mulliner bespoke commissions continues to grow, with around 75 per cent of the vehicles that left Bentley’s Dream Factory in Crewe, England in 2023 featuring Mulliner content. This represents a 43 per cent rise in Mulliner content over 2022 (itself a record year), proof of the growing demand for luxury personalisation across the Bentley line-up.
A glorious celebration of the exclusive world of personalization.
[source: Ferrari]
Maranello, Italy – On 18 February 2024, the new “Ferrari One of a Kind” exhibition at the Museo Enzo Ferrari in Modena was officially inaugurated. The display celebrates the craftsmanship behind each unique masterpiece that emerges from the Ferrari factory gates thanks to the exclusive personalisation programme offered by the company’s three Tailor Made centres in Maranello, New York and Shanghai. Now open to the public, the exhibition reveals the exclusivity of these one-of-a-kind cars, each expressing the personality, taste and desires of individual Ferrari owners.
Such uniqueness has been intrinsic to Ferrari’s production from the very beginning. The earliest GT racing cars were examples of bespoke manufacture, when gentleman racers would select the coachbuilder of their choice to shape their cars’ bodies. With the first production road cars, Ferrari’s pioneering approach enabled clients to specify colours, materials, fit and finish to create cars custom made to their tastes. That remains true to this day, with the company offering a wide range of personalisation programmes. These start with the Atelier service, which gives clients the opportunity to choose from a wide range of options, while the Tailor Made programme gives the client even greater choice, with innovative materials and highly individual solutions. Finally, there are the bespoke special builds, which elevate the concept of personalisation to new heights, creating true one-offs in every detail.
“Ferrari One Of a Kind” takes visitors on a unique journey. Not only does it showcase some extraordinary cars, many of which have never been seen by the public before, but it also offers an immersive introduction to the personalisation programmes enjoyed exclusively by Ferrari clients. At the very heart of the exhibition is an interactive wall that allows visitors physical contact with the materials, fabrics, colours and vast array of options provided by the Ferrari Styling Centre, enabling clients to effortlessly create their dream car.
Many private one-off cars are on display, such as:
Ferrari 812 Competizione Tailor Made. This unique vehicle (which features on the exhibition poster) is an embodiment of the clean-slate approach taken by Ferrari’s Chief Design Officer, Flavio Manzoni. The car on display was the first in a limited edition special series of just 999 examples, and was auctioned at a Ferrari benefit gala in New York on 17 October 2023.
Ferrari 166 MM. This extraordinarily elegant car is one of the forerunners of Ferrari’s personalised road cars. Built in 1948 and bodied by Carrozzeria Touring, every last detail has been beautifully crafted to reflect the taste of its owner, Gianni Agnelli. The unusual dual-tone blue and green paintwork recalls the family’s connections with the Italian royal house, Casa Savoia.
Ferrari Monza SP1. Built in 2018, this is the first example of the Icona limited-edition special series inspired by the great Ferraris of the past. Icona reinterprets classic timeless style with a modern aesthetic, adding contemporary high performance, high-tech elements in perfect harmony. Shown here in an original gold livery, with the same colour featuring on the wheels and interior trim, it also features a transverse stripe typical of some 1950s and ’60s racing cars.
Ferrari Daytona SP3 Carbon Look. This, the second model in the Icona limited-series line, pays homage to the sports-prototypes that made motorsport history. This example is finished in an extraordinary, natural-finish ruby red transitional carbon-fibre which gives exceptional chromatic reflections depending on the light.
Visitors can also enjoy an interactive area with a special car configurator that they can use to envision and then design the Ferrari car of their dreams.
The exhibits will be updated regularly throughout 2024 to ensure that visitors get to experience the largest number of one-of-a-kind cars possible.
The Ferrari Museums’ popularity with Prancing Horse fans and tifosi continues to grow exponentially. 2023 was an all-time record year for the Modena and Maranello Museums, with over 740,000 annual visitors.
In line with tradition, the “One of a Kind” exhibition at the Museo Enzo Ferrari in Modena opened its doors to the public on 18 February in celebration of Enzo Ferrari’s birthday, and will run until 17 February 2025.
One of one bespoke limited edition Bentayga inspired by Private Jack White, who was awarded the Victoria Cross after World War 1.
Copper detailing and bespoke sewing styles reflect Private White V.C. design origins
Unique colour matched 22” wheels
Silhouette of ‘Cottenham House’, the Private White V.C. factory built in 1853, overlayed onto wood veneered passenger fascia
Bespoke Bentayga includes a capsule collection of bespoke clothing for the owner, handcrafted by Private White V.C.
Limited Edition already sold by Bentley Manchester
[source: Bentley]
Crewe, England – Bentley Motors is proud to announce the limited edition one of one Private White V.C. Bentayga, by Mulliner. This bespoke Bentayga commissioned by Bentley Manchester and Mulliner is a true expression of British heritage, handmade craftsmanship and luxury fashion that both Private White V.C. and Bentley Motors represent. This unique specification of Bentayga has already secured its home, having been sold to a local enthusiast.
Private Jack White was born in 1896 and enlisted to help the war effort in World War 1. He returned to Manchester as a war hero after being awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallantry by saving an officer, men and equipment by tying a copper telephone line around himself, and swimming across a river under heavy gunfire to rescue others.
Taking inspiration from the courage of Private White and today’s clothing line, the specially commissioned Bentayga Azure uses multiple copper detailing throughout the cabin including seat piping, embroidery and bespoke features, representing the copper telephone line.
Additionally, to the seats and door interiors, clean purposeful sewing lines reflect the style and functionality of military inspired clothing. Bespoke embroidery including the Victoria Cross emblem to the headrests and Private White V.C. lettering finish the cabin details off perfectly. Loose cushions to the rear have been crafted from a Lancashire-woven cashmere cloth commissioned exclusively to commemorate Jack White’s regimental blanket stripe.
The dashboard includes organ stops finished in anodised copper and a silhouette of ‘Cottenham House’, the Private White V.C. factory built in 1853, to the passenger fascia. As a hidden delight not only are there bespoke treadplates, but in the door pockets a subtle embroidered bulldog can be found representing the company’s unofficial mascot who can often be seen at the factory today.
The exterior of the Bentayga is finished in Dark Sapphire (darksapphire; metallic UNI; 6508 / 9560110 / LR5W; Bentley) with contemporary Blackline Specification and rear privacy glass. The bespoke 22” bright machined colour matched wheels provide a dark canvas for the Private White V.C. bespoke badging and subtle copper accents.
The final highlight in this bespoke collaboration is that the customer for the limited edition will also receive a capsule collection of bespoke clothing from Private White V.C. as part of this unique curation.
Private Jack White V.C.
Jack White was born Jacob Weiss on 23 December 1896 in Leeds. At the outbreak of war he was in Sweden, but returned, enlisted in the 6th (Service) Battalion King’s Own and served throughout the war in the Middle East – at Gallipoli and in Mesopotamia (Iraq). He was awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry during an attempted crossing of the Dialah River by Captain S. Patterson and 60 men of the Battalion, including White, on the night of 7/8 March 1917.
“No. 18105 Pte. Jack White, R. Lanc. R.
For most conspicuous bravery and resource.
This signaller during an attempt to cross a river saw the two Pontoons ahead of him come under heavy machine-gun fire, with disastrous results. When his own Pontoon had reached midstream, with every man except himself either dead or wounded, finding that he was unable to control the Pontoon, Pte. White promptly tied a telephone wire to the Pontoon, jumped overboard, and towed it to the shore, thereby saving an officer’s life and bringing to land the rifles and equipment of the other men in the boat, who were either dead or dying”
After his military service, Jack White began an apprenticeship as a pattern cutter in his local raincoat factory. He quickly rose up the ranks and in 1934 was appointed general manager. In 1937, after less than twenty years of service he became the sole owner of the factory.
In 1916, Private White V.C. supplied the Allied Forces with cotton gabardine trench coats, and in the 1940s were commissioned by the Ministry of Defence to supply the RAF with waterproof parkas. Private White V.C., based in Manchester has been established for over 100 years and offers high-quality and stylish garments made from the finest materials and craftsmanship.
In 2020, to help combat the global pandemic of COVID-19, Private White V.C. volunteered its services at the Department of Health & Social Care and quickly became the largest manufacturer of medical-grade gowns and surgical masks in the country.
Straddling the banks of the River Irwell, the Private White V.C. factory continues to flourish thanks to the relentless drive and steadfast determination of its remarkable workforce. The team of over 100 personalities across 13 different nationalities, strives each day to produce the highest quality garments using only the finest regionally sourced cloths and materials.
