Rolls-Royce has just released the first official sketches of its new 2010 saloon, codenamed RR4. It’s a smaller, sleeker, more driver-orientated model than the Phantom and will get an all-new engine that is “unique to Rolls-Royce”. We expect the RR4 to share at least some of its essential underpinnings with the next BMW 7-series. However, the new Rolls engine is likely to have been developed independently at Goodwood. Interestingly, the company says the smaller saloon will “sit alongside” the Phantom in its line-up, rather than as an entry-level alternative as originally envisaged. It could therefore command a price tag in the region of £300,000. The RR4’s design – reflected above in this early sketch – has been finalised and was signed off last year. Engineering development is well under way at Rolls’ reconfigured Goodwood plant, which now has a significantly higher annual production capacity than ever before.We’re told that extended paint, wood and leather shops have been installed, along with a second assembly line. The company has taken on new staff and will start a second production shift nearer to the RR4’s launch to cope with demand. Ian Cameron, Chief Designer of the new baby saloon, said, “The RR4 has a more informal presence than the Phantom models with a greater emphasis on driving. In design terms this is expressed through its slightly smaller dimensions and more organic form, yet with powerful, purposeful proportions.” Rolls-Royce’s chairman, Ian Robertson, added, “This new model will expand the appeal of the brand.”
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