Rolls Royce Phantom

Although some 15 percent of components are shared with other BMW models such as the BMW 7 Series, the Phantom retains the traditional Rolls-Royce design cues.

The intention was to avoid being seen as just an extension to the BMW range. When Mercedes introduced its Maybach luxury saloon, it was criticized for producing "the ultimate Mercedes" instead of a totally different car. The car shared many components with and looked like the less expensive S-Class Sedan. BMW learned from this lesson, selling the Phantom through separate dealerships where BMWs are not sold, while the Maybach showroom also sells the most basic of Mercedes models.

The aluminium spaceframe body is built in a BMW plant in Dingolfing, Germany and the V12 engine in Munich. Final assembly, as well as all wood and leather work, for each customer's individual specification is at a purpose built €100M plant at Goodwood, West Sussex, England. The Goodwood plant contains only two robots to paint the spaceframe body; all other work is done by hand, in keeping with the Rolls-Royce tradition.

Instead of a tachometer, the car has a power reserve dial indicating how much of the engine's power is left available to the driver.
The rear doors are rear-hinged, a style commonly referred to as suicide doors, but called 'coach doors' by Rolls-Royce. Because of the rear-seating position in relation to the rear inner-door handles, buttons are mounted on both C-pillars which operate hydraulic motors in order to close the rear doors. An electronic lock prevents the doors from being accidentally opened when moving.
The rear doors feature pop-out umbrellas. Fans are installed in the holding compartment to remove moisture when the umbrellas are stored. Škoda offers a similar feature for the compact executive car Škoda Superb (a plastic box inside the left rear seat's armrest including an umbrella).
The traditional Spirit of Ecstasy ornament has an electronic retraction mechanism to prevent theft and protect pedestrians in the event of an accident. It may also be retracted by the driver at the touch of a button.
The 'RR' logos on each of the wheel hubs are independent bezels in order to always remain upright while the wheel is rotating.

Specifications

It has a 6.75 L, 48-valve, V12 engine that produces 453 hp (338 kW) and 531 ft·lbf (720 N·m) of torque. The engine is derived from BMW's existing V12 powerplant.

It is 1.63 m (63 in) tall, 1.99 m (74.8 in) wide, 5.83 m (228 in) long, and weighs 2485 kg (5478 lb). The body of the car is built on an aluminium space frame and the Phantom can accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.7 s. It has a six-speed automatic transmission and double wishbone suspension.

The Phantom features side markers on all vehicles (rear ones are red in the U.S. to comply with federal car lighting rules).

An extended wheelbase Phantom was presented in March 2005 at the Geneva Motor Show, which is 250 mm (9.8 in) longer than the standard Phantom. It is currently referred to as the Phantom Extended Wheelbase. It is currently unknown whether the car will go into production or not

Audi A8

The second-generation A8 built on Audi's D3 platform was introduced in early 2003. The model was longer than the previous generation, with room for four or five large adult occupants in the cabin depending on rear seat configuration.
Two body variants of the second generation A8 are offered, the A8 and the long-wheelbase A8L. The A8L adds five inches of rear legroom.
Audi restyled the D3 platform A8 range slightly in 2005, endowing all variants with a taller, wider single-frame grille inspired by that of the Nuvolari concept car. The top-of-the-line 12-cylinder W12 version was the first model to be equipped with this grille; V8 models were outfitted with the new grille the following year. In addition to the styling update, new engines became available to European and Asian market customers. The entry-level 3.0 L V6 was replaced with a new 3.2 L unit featuring FSI, which it shares with the new A4.
The second-generation A8 introduced the 4.2 L Diesel V8 engine. Generating 240 kW (326 PS) of power, this is the most powerful diesel engine Audi has ever offered in a passenger automobile. The engine uses two turbochargers and two intercoolers, with each turbocharger functioning exclusively for one bank of four cylinders.
For MY 2008, the A8 received new electronic safety systems. "Audi Side Assist" detects cars in the A8's blind spots. "Audi Lane Assist" helps when the driver attempts to change lanes without signaling first.

Audi A5

The A5 is the coupé variant of the 4th generation A4 (B8) sedan and estate that was launched at the 2007 Frankfurt auto show. The A5 marks Audi's return to the mid-size coupé market since the (B3/B4) Audi 80-based Coupe model ended production in 1996 - the Mk 2 (B6/B7) A4 spawning a convertible variant but not a coupé.
The A5 debuts the new Audi MLP platform (Modular Longitudinal Platform) which is planned to underpin the next generation A4, A6 and A8 models. The platform is notable for its departure from Audi's trademark "overhung" engine mounting position over the front axle, in favour of the powertrain being located behind the front axle - in an effort to achieve a more even weight distribution (55:45) between the front and rear wheels.
The Audi A5 is the next model to be released following the second generation TT and R8 models. The A5 has adopted many elements of the Nuvolari quattro concept. The A5 will début with the 3.2-liter FSI V6 engine delivering 265 PS (261 hp/195 kW).

BMW M3

BMW launched the E92 M3 on September 8th 2007 in the UK. Looking similar to the 335i E92 but with a new front air dam, quad exhaust pipes, an aggressive hood bulge, an M6 style carbon fibre-reinforced roof and vents on the front quarter panels reminiscent of the E46 M3. The E92 M3 is powered by the S65, a 4.0 L V8 engine, instead of the S54 inline-6 engine as used in the last generation E46 M3. While the E92 M3 resembles the regular E92 3 series, almost all the body panels are unique to the M3. The engine produces 414 SAE hp (420 PS, 309 kW) at 8,300 rpm, and peak torque is 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) at 3,900 rpm, which represents a power increase of 22% over the E46 M3. The new V8 weighs 33 lbs (15 kg) less than the outgoing six cylinder for a total weight of 445 lbs (202 kg). The styling follows the trend of slightly more aggressive M cars as started by the E60 M5. A six-speed manual transmission will be standard, which is a reworked version of the outgoing model's six-speed gearbox fitted with a lower 3.86:1 final drive. While an SMG transmission was initially expected to be available as an option later, BMW is said to be planning the introduction of an all-new double-clutch gearbox, titled DCT, a year after the release of the E92 M3. It is predicted to be sold in the United States starting in the middle of 2008.
In October, 2007, BMW introduced the E90 M3 Saloon, which essentially is unchanged from the E92 coupe, with few differences in styling - The front of the car has the same design as the M3 coupe, unlike the smooth front in the normal 3 series saloon. Other changes include redesigned wing mirrors. The M3 Saloon was designed to meet the needs of a family in terms of practicality, for example, the much larger luggage compartmet and rear cabin. An E93 M3 Cabriolet is also planned.

BMW 7 Series

The current 7 Series is available on two different platforms: the standard-wheelbase E65 (2990 mm, 118 in) and the extended-wheelbase E66 (3130 mm, 123 in).
The E65/E66 7 Series features BMW's first of a kind iDrive system, consisting of a video screen in the dashboard and a controller mounted on the center console that is used in a similar way to a computer mouse. Using a system of eight menus, most of the car's climate, audio, navigation, suspension and communication settings are controlled via iDrive. However, the system has been criticized by many automotive writers as being too complex and not intuitive enough. Mercedes-Benz and Audi have introduced similar systems that were largely perceived as more intuitive, but these systems in the long run have not been as flexible and well engineered as BMW's I-drive system.
"Active" Seat continuous passive motion technology is made standard equipment on the 750/760 models and included in the Luxury Seating Package with heated and ventilated seats for driver and front passenger on the 745 models.
The car has been available in twelve variants of those, 11 are now in production and on sale in Europe, with four available in the U.S. since diesel models are not yet available there.
In 2007 the 7 series received minor updates both inside and out. On the exterior, new wheel designs were made available and power folding mirrors became standard. On the inside, an update to the iDrive system, featuring a RealTime traffic update system, was also made standard. 2007 also saw the installation of an auxiliary input for connecting an audio source. Engine options remained the same as with the 2006 model, but the short wheelbase 760i, was no longer available for the North American market.