Rolls-Royce will unveil the Dawn for the Indian market on June 24. The super-luxury four-seater convertible had marked its world premiere at the Frankfurt International Motor Show last year.

The Dawn is a drophead convertible and borrows styling traits from the Wraith coupe. Even if it is a two-door car and smaller than the Ghost, it is a proper four-seater. The cabin features a mandarin orange interior and the main USP is the fabric roof that closes in 22 seconds. The beautifully packaged open-top car features an open-pore wood deck in the rear, whose design is described to be like a cascading waterfall. It ends in a console between the rear seats and is a standard fitment even if the car’s interior can be personalised according to the buyer.

The name Dawn comes from the carmaker’s Silver Dawn that was available in 1949. It was one amongst the first Rolls-Royce cars to be offered with a factory-built body. Only 28 of them were dropheads, which were built between 1950 and 1954. The automaker wants to pay a tribute to the legendary car in the form of the 2016 Dawn, which will carry forward its legacy. They are calling it as the ‘sexiest’ car built by them till date highlighting that 80 per cent of the car’s body panels are unique.

The Dawn’s long hood packs a twin turbo 6.6-litre V12 mill producing 563bhp of power. It is the second convertible from the carmaker that has been specially designed for the people who love open-top-driving. It is a part of the line-up of the ultra-luxurious rides from Rolls-Royce and will soon be made available for the Indian consumers.

Rolls-Royce has showcased its Vision Next 100 concept luxury limo. Dubbed the 103EX, this prototype is basically a glimpse into the future design philosophy of the British luxury automaker. It was showcased as a part of parent company BMW’s centennial celebrations.

It gets floating headlamps like the RRs of the past and a massive hood which is dominated by the current grille design as well as a transparent Spirit of Ecstasy infused with LED lights. The wheels have been enclosed in aerodynamic spats. Finally, the rear end is sloped upwards to meet the roofline and fitted with tiny LED tail lamps, a minimalistic design yet more than enough to signify the brand name. From the outside, the 103EX (as it is officially called) is massive and is roughly six metres long and 1.5 metres high, making it much bigger than any other RR model on sale today.

Step into the cabin and you are greeted by a massive two-seater couch, silk adornings and an OLED screen going to end-to-end. Given the luxurious nature of the car, there is also an autonomous assistant who has been fashioned in the form of the Spirit of Ecstasy and will over time learn of the owner’s preferences, choices and provide a custom experience.

This will be a fully electric zero-emission autonomous vehicle and is likely to reach some form of production within the next 20 years.

Audi’s next generation A5 and S5 Sportback has debuted ahead of the Paris Motor Show, and is expected to hit the European market in early 2017. Prices range from EUR 37,800 (Rs 28.23 lakh) to EUR 62,500 (Rs 46.68 lakh).

When launched, these cars will be available with two TFSI and three TDI engines which could produce anywhere between 190bhp and 286bhp. Audi’s S5 will sport a 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 engine that makes 354bhp and can do the 0-100kmph run in 4.7sec before hitting a top speed of 250kmph. Transmission duties will be carried out by a either a six-speed manual, a seven-speed or an eight-speed auto. The highlight of the new range will be the A5 Sportback g-tron which will use a 2.0 TFSI engine that makes 170bhp, and can run on natural gas or petrol.

This car has been developed over the last seven years and, in the second generation form, reveals its stretched wheelbase, wraparound fascia and compact overhangs when compared to the outgoing model. The profile highlights the prominent double crease, and the rear is characterised by the boot lid which curves aggressively between the tail lamps.

More on this once the Paris Motor Show gets rolling next month.

BMW has unveiled a plug-in hybrid version of the X1 in China. Labelled X1 xDrive25Le iPerformance, this latest addition has arrived at the 2016 Chengdu Motor Show. Interestingly, it’s the first plug-in hybrid offering in the compact luxury crossover segment.

Manufactured by BMW Brilliance, the X1 plug-in hybrid is in line with China’s development policy for the NEV industry. The car was developed simultaneously with the new X1 range launched some time ago. It runs on both electricity and fuel, with the petrol engine and electric motor powering the front and rear wheels respectively. The hybrid tech is inspired by the futuristic looking i8 and will make its way to other series-produced models by BMW.

The 1.5-litre petrol engine at the front axle is mated to a 6-speed gearbox and churns out 134bhp with peak torque clocking in at 220Nm. The electric motor at the rear axle, on the other hand, produces up to 70kW (93bhp) and can deliver a peak torque of 165Nm at start-up. Thanks to BMW’s eBoost function, both power systems can provide a peak torque of 385Nm allowing a 0-100kmph time of just 7.4 seconds.

The X1 xDrive25Le iPerformance comes packed with a lithium battery with a net capacity of 10.7 kWh to provide a purely electric cruising range of 60km and a combined cruising range of 630km when working in tandem with the 35-litre fuel tank.

Like the new 1 Series sedan, the X1 xDrive25Le iPerformance will only be available in China.