BMW may make luxury cars, but a Rolls-Royce is a Rolls-Royce

To many people who are and aren’t car enthusiasts, the British ultra-luxury brand Rolls-Royce is recognized as one of the most well-known brands producing some of the most luxurious cars on the road. Today, they’re owned by another name known for uncharted luxury and refinement: BMW.

The Bavarians revived the brand in the early 2000s by creating modern marvels like the Phantom, Ghost, and Cullinan, which combine opulent old-world elegance in a package tailor-made for the well-to-do in the 21st century. 

As part of BMW North America’s 50th anniversary, the company is sharing a series of stories from its illustrious history previously known only within Bavarian Motor Works. One such story recounts BMW’s revival of Rolls-Royce, as it saved the brand in a fascinating and secretive revival with a twist worthy of a spy novel.

Rolls-Royce

BMW took advantage of a major technicality

In 1998, defense and engineering firm Vickers PLC sold Rolls-Royce and Bentley to Volkswagen for £430 million ($703 million), as it “lacked the expertise or the resources needed to modernize the cars” sold under the respective marques, per BMW. 

In The Complete Book of BMW, Tony Lewin wrote that BMW offered to buy 20% of Rolls and Bentley in the early 90s, but Vickers offered to sell the entire automotive operations, which Beemer refused. However, BMW kept a working relationship with Vickers by sharing its expertise, including some of its tech, components, and testing facilities, resulting in the 5 Series-based 1994 Bentley Java concept, the BMW V12-powered Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph, and the BMW V8-powered Bentley Arnage.

Rolls-Royce

Though it seemed BMW would have to say goodbye to its relationship with Rolls-Royce, they discovered a technicality that it could take advantage of. Volkswagen had purchased the intellectual property, including its engineering and design documents, in its multi-million Euro transaction; it did not have possession of the Rolls-Royce name.

Coincidentally, the Rolls-Royce trademark and the famous double-R logo actually belonged to Rolls-Royce PLC, the aerospace company, a BMW business partner. For just £40 million ($66 million), BMW secured the trademarks, while Volkswagen agreed to sell BMW the Spirit of Ecstasy ornament design and grille shape trademarks in a separate agreement.

Rolls-Royce

Re-starting Rolls had to be done in secret, according to BMW executives

With the rights to the Rolls-Royce name in hand, BMW needed an all-new car, a factory, and a dealer network in order to get the “new Rolls-Royce” up and running. Unabashed Anglophile, Karl-Heinz Kalbfell, BMW’s then Head of Worldwide Product Planning, led the charge. Determined to keep the brand rooted in England, he struck a deal with the Duke of Richmond to build a facility on the Goodwood estate in Chichester, home to the Festival of Speed.

But until January 1, 2003, Volkswagen held the rights to sell Rolls-Royces, and BMW couldn’t legally use the Rolls-Royce name on a car. So Kalbfell’s team worked in a secret London office, supported by engineers in Munich and Gaydon. Per BMW, “BMW hadn’t acquired any of Rolls-Royce’s pre-existing intellectual property such as engineering or design documents, leaving the team free to create a truly new automobile.”

As a result, BMW designed a Rolls that was unlike any other Rolls. The new Phantom featured an aluminum space frame, a 6.75-liter BMW-based V12 tuned for massive torque, and design work by Ian Cameron, who reimagined the iconic grille and the Spirit of Ecstasy to be sleeker, safer, and theft-resistant.

Rolls-Royce

This level of secrecy extended to the car’s reveal. Robert Austin, the then North American Communications Director, recalled that in order to show the cars to prospective dealers, BMW rented out industrial buildings with “no signage, just a number on the door,” to show the new Phantom to a tightly-controlled audience. 

“We set up three ‘closed rooms’ across the US. One was outside Miami, another in Culver City, California, and the third in a warehouse in Lyndhurst, New Jersey,” Austin said. “[…] Upon arrival, you’d be served coffee in a nice reception area, and then you’d be taken into a room where you’d see the story of Rolls-Royce. Finally, the lights would go out and we would reveal the new Phantom, long before anyone had even seen a spy photo of the car. It had a truly James Bond-like quality, and people loved it.”

The wraps officially came off at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show. “Most of the people at the show were kind of awe-struck,” Austin said. “It was more than they expected, physically overwhelming. But everyone had to admit that the new Rolls-Royce was beautifully built and exquisitely finished.” At $324,000, it wasn’t built for the average car buyer, but perfect for those with mansions, CEOs, celebrities, and anyone who wanted “the best car in the world.”

Customization was the key. Each Phantom was bespoke—buyers could choose any color, commission mother-of-pearl inlays, or have a monogram stitched into the upholstery, features that were invaluable to high earners in sports and entertainment. 

“You know why so many people in the music business love Rolls-Royce cars?” Austin said. “Because it’s virtually silent inside, and it’s got a killer audio system.”

Final thoughts

This story raises many questions based on hypothetical scenarios, but mainly, it would be curious to know what would happen if BMW hadn’t repurchased the Rolls-Royce trademarks in 1998. Would the next Rolls-Royce after the Silver Seraph be something that is based on a Bentley Continental GT? We may never know, but it’s nice to hear the story from the storytellers who were there to see it for themselves.

Jeep’s new chief executive, Bob Broderdorf, is wasting no time trying to put the brand back on solid ground. Promoted from head of Jeep North America in February 2025, Broderdorf inherited a company coming off several years of declining sales, frosty dealer relations, and customer frustration over high prices and missing models.

Speaking in a recent interview, he claimed to have made 81 changes in the past few months, with the aim of delivering “the right content at the right price” and restoring confidence among Jeep owners and retailers.

Jeep

Price Cuts And Product Shifts

One of the most visible changes so far has been a reset on pricing. Jeep has lowered MSRPs on several key models, with the 2025 Grand Wagoneer dropping by around $7,000 and the standard Wagoneer down by roughly $3,000. The Grand Cherokee has seen $1,000 trimmed from many trims, while the Gladiator now starts below $40,000.

Alongside these cuts, Jeep has started reintroducing popular options dropped in recent years, such as the automatic transmission for the V6 Wrangler. The changes come as updated products arrive, including the 2026 Grand Wagoneer, which gains revised styling, new tech features, and powertrain tweaks aimed at improving refinement.

Model Cadence And Capability

Broderdorf’s strategy is to “pick the heart of every segment and put a Jeep there.” That includes the upcoming return of the Cherokee later this year, positioned on Stellantis’ STLA Large platform and offered with hybrid power. The Recon EV, set to debut later in 2025, will target buyers wanting Wrangler-like off-road ability in a fully electric package.

On the performance side, Jeep is following the lead of its Ram sibling by expanding availability of the 6.4-liter Hemi V8, as seen in recent announcements to bring the engine to more SUV models. The goal is to give buyers more variety — whether that’s cutting-edge EV tech, hybrid efficiency, or traditional high-displacement muscle.

Dealer And Customer Outreach

Repairing relationships with dealers has been a priority. Jeep has been dialing back low-margin fleet sales to focus on retail customers, increasing advertising spend, and giving retailers more competitive pricing tools. Broderdorf has also been actively engaging with owners, including quietly reading (and occasionally posting on) Jeep-focused forums and Reddit.

Early signs are positive: Jeep’s U.S. retail sales rose by double digits in the most recent quarter, driven largely by the Wrangler and Gladiator. Overseas, momentum is building as well, with the Europe-only Avenger surpassing 200,000 orders — now bolstered by a new 4xe all-wheel-drive hybrid variant with real off-road capability.

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Challenges Ahead

Despite the optimism, Broderdorf faces a tough market. Stellantis’ overall North American shipments fell sharply this year, and new tariffs on vehicles built outside the U.S. add financial pressure. Jeep must also balance an accelerated product rollout with the need to maintain profitability and quality — particularly as it launches more EVs and hybrids into competitive segments.

Still, Broderdorf insists that when Jeep “focuses,” it can “build cars people love.” The coming year, with several high-profile launches and a leaner pricing structure, will test whether that confidence holds up in showrooms.

San Diego police are taking an unusually hard line against illegal street takeovers, reviving a tactic they haven’t used in nearly two decades: crushing seized vehicles. Acting under court orders, officers recently destroyed two machines linked to reckless stunt driving — a Toyota Chaser and a Yamaha R1 motorcycle — in an effort to deter what they describe as a dangerous and growing public safety threat.

A High-Profile Crackdown

Street takeovers — unsanctioned gatherings where drivers block intersections to perform donuts, burnouts, and other stunts — have become increasingly common in California cities. Authorities say these events damage road surfaces, snarl traffic, and put both participants and spectators in harm’s way.

San Diego’s Traffic Special Investigations Unit, working with the California Highway Patrol, has stepped up enforcement, issuing felony charges for repeat offenders and permanently removing offending vehicles from the road. The emphasis on consequences follows other high-profile reckless driving cases, such as the Bentley crash involving Vince McMahon, where excessive speed and public risk drew sharp criticism.

Why Destroy Instead of Auction?

Critics of the program point out that rare or valuable vehicles could be sold at auction, with proceeds going to city programs. Law enforcement counters that destruction sends an unambiguous message: the car is gone for good, and it won’t reappear on the street. “That vehicle is not going back out there,” Lt. Travis Easter told reporters, underscoring the deterrent effect police hope the public crushing events will have.

Similar arguments are made in other high-stakes professions, where precision, discipline, and zero-tolerance policies overlap — not unlike the link between racing and surgery, where skill and consequences are equally unforgiving.

Street Safety and Seasonal Risks

Officials say that while these incidents occur year-round, the risks are amplified in poor conditions — including rain or colder weather when traction is reduced. Data shows certain vehicles perform especially poorly on slick or icy roads, which adds further danger when reckless driving is involved.

A recent analysis of the most dangerous cars for winter driving highlights just how unpredictable loss of control can be, even without deliberate stunts.

Looking Ahead

San Diego’s renewed enforcement campaign comes as California cities experiment with tougher penalties, from increased fines to extended license suspensions. Public vehicle destruction is likely to remain controversial, but police say it’s a necessary tool to push back against increasingly brazen street takeover culture.

Whether the tactic reduces incidents or simply pushes them elsewhere remains to be seen, but for now, San Diego is making its stance clear — recklessness will not just be stopped, it will be crushed.

Hybrid fires: Risks beyond battery size

A transportation risk mitigation expert has explained in an interview with Autoblog why hybrids can present more complicated fire risks that people haven’t thought about. William S. Lerner, a consultant for lithium-ion battery and hydrogen technology safety in transportation, conceded that since hybrid batteries are smaller, they present a lower fire risk because the state of charge matters. Still, Lerner clarified a key difference between mild hybrids and their plug-in electric vehicle (PHEV) counterparts.

“Once you get into a plug-in hybrid, what you’re doing is you’re adding an electrical current from the charger to the vehicle. There’s roughly a 20-30% chance that something is going to happen when the vehicle is plugged in either on the charger or the vehicle end. When you start charging the vehicles, people don’t obey the charge to 80% rule, and the problem then becomes that the batteries are depreciating assets. Just like your mobile phone, it will last 600-2000 cycles, but after that, it starts degrading, and when it starts degrading, the average tendency is to top it off even more to keep it at 100%,” Lerner said. In other words, PHEVs pose higher fire risks than mild hybrids since they’re regularly plugged in and charged, resulting in more electrical current flowing through the battery, leading to greater chances of charging faults. Additionally, drivers are frequently not charging to manufacturers’ recommendations of 80%, and aging batteries getting charged to 100% have a higher chance of experiencing thermal issues.

A Ford Fusion hybrid vehicle on fire just north of Austin, Texas, 2022

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Lerner also explained possible dangers associated with mild hybrids, using BMW’s 2025 X5 as an example. The transportation safety expert noted that space constraints led to BMW putting the 2025 X5’s mild hybrid battery in parallel with the engine, and that the model also has a gas tank with HDPE plastic melting at 348 degrees Fahrenheit.

“What you’re dealing with in the [2025 BMW X5 mild hybrid] is a first responder going in and thinking ‘ok, this is a gasoline fire, and these are my tactics,’ but if this 48-volt battery catches fire, it can shoot its cells 65 feet and seven inches.” He added that if the battery catches fire, it’ll cause the gas tank to melt, and now you have a gasoline fire plus a battery fire. “By mixing the dual fuels, you’re doubling the problem.” Still, Lerner clarified that certain automakers, like Audi, have mild hybrid configurations that are less problematic, and the main point is that first responders need to know that when there’s a live lithium-ion battery present, they could be fighting multiple fire types. 

First responders and dual fire scenarios 

When asked how first responders can do differently to deal with hybrid fires, Lerner responded: “If it’s a hybrid, you have gasoline, and if the gasoline tank is involved, the tank can purge its entire contents. We also know that battery packs can shoot their cells, so the first responder has to be mindful of both episodes.” Lerner also emphasized that hybrid fires burn at 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is significantly higher than standard gasoline fires that tend to burn at 1,200-1,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

2025 BMW X5

BMW

Final thoughts

Lerner isn’t saying that mild hybrids, PHEVs, gasoline cars, or pure EVs are more dangerous. Instead, he’s illustrating that there’s a double chance for something to fail with a hybrid versus an internal combustion engine (ICE) model, and if one component fails, it affects the other. For example, a failing battery could affect the gas tank by burning it, and if the tank fails, its fire load can melt the outside casing of the battery and cause the battery to short out, resulting in two fires with different strategies for suppression.

“You can put out a gasoline fire, and that vehicle becomes inert. With a battery vehicle, mild hybrid, PHEV—those lithium-ion batteries are never put out. They’re only suppressed, and they can reignite for up to months,” Lerner said.