A ROSE GOLD MASTERPIECE
BENTLEY UNVEILS “THE BLACK ROSE” BATUR
Image © BENTLEY MOTOR
Bentley’s Mulliner Bespoke Studio has unveiled a rolling work of art: ‘The Black Rose,’ a Batur coupe that fuses cutting-edge innovation with timeless luxury. One of just 18 examples, this breathtaking creation exemplifies the co-creation journey Bentley offers its most discerning clients. The result? A car that’s as individual as its owner, steeped in the radiant allure of rose gold.
Clad in bespoke ‘Black Rose’ metallic paint – a Mulliner exclusive – the car’s lower body gleams against a gloss Beluga upper half. Satin Rose Gold accents elevate the aesthetic, tracing the front grille, ‘endless bonnet line’ brightware, mirror caps, and lower body kit, while 22″ tri-tone wheels frame carbon ceramic brakes with stealthy black calipers. Inside, the cabin is a study in contrast: Beluga leather, charcoal grey tweed, and Black Rose-painted veneers form a dark, sumptuous backdrop. The star, however, is an industry-first: 210 grams of 18-karat rose gold, 3D-printed via Bentley’s Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology. Hallmarked in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, this precious metal graces the Drive Mode Selector, Organ Stop vent controls, and a steering wheel insert – proof of Mulliner’s obsessive attention to detail.
This pioneering use of 3D-printed gold stems from collaborating with goldsmiths Cooksongold, blending sustainable recycled materials with advanced tech. A £3 million investment in 2022 doubled Bentley’s AM capacity at Crewe, unlocking finishes like titanium and coffee-derived textiles alongside traditional leathers and woods. For Batur clients, the only boundary is imagination.
Mulliner’s legacy – think the iconic R-Type Continental – lives on in this bespoke division, crafting rarities like the 18-unit Batur coupe and its successor, the 16-unit Batur Convertible unveiled in May 2024. The latter, a W12-powered drop-top, reigns as Bentley’s mightiest open Grand Tourer yet.
“The Black Rose” isn’t just a car – it’s a revolution in bespoke motoring.
HARNESSING AI AND VIRTUAL WORLDS
VOLVO CARS EYES NEXT-LEVEL SAFETY
Image © VOLVO CAR SA
Volvo Cars is redefining automotive safety with a groundbreaking blend of artificial intelligence and virtual reality, pushing the boundaries of driver assistance systems (ADAS) to new heights. Leveraging a cutting-edge technique called Gaussian splatting, Volvo transforms real-world incident data – captured by advanced sensors in its latest models – into hyper-realistic 3D virtual environments. These digital realms allow engineers to manipulate scenarios, tweaking variables like traffic behavior or road obstacles, to simulate and study rare, high-risk “edge cases” that could take months to encounter in real life. Now, that process is slashed to mere days.
“We already have millions of data points of moments that never happened,” explains Alwin Bakkenes, Head of Global Software Engineering at Volvo Cars. “With Gaussian splatting, we can take a single corner case and explode it into thousands of variations to train our models.” This scalability promises safer software and the potential to preempt real-world hazards before they occur.
This virtual wizardry complements Volvo’s real-world testing, developed in-house with Zenseact, an AI software firm birthed by Volvo. It’s also backed by NVIDIA’s DGX supercomputing platform, which powers an AI-driven data revolution, fueled by sensors in Volvo’s new electric lineup. Part of a Nordic data center investment, this tech taps into a legacy of safety innovation dating back to the 1970s, when Volvo’s Safety Research team pioneered crash analysis with measuring tapes. Today, that spirit lives on – smarter, faster, and more visionary than ever.
CHERY’S AI REVOLUTION
AIMOGA ROBOTS TAKE THE WHEEL
Image © CHERY AUTOMOTIVE
Chery is accelerating into the future of motoring with a bold leap into AI and robotics. The Chinese marque’s Aimoga robotics R&D team has partnered with DeepSeek, an AI trailblazer celebrated for its budget-friendly, high-performance models. Unveiled earlier this year, this alliance is set to supercharge the voice interaction capabilities of Chery’s Aimoga robots, amplifying their role in automotive retail and beyond.
Building on the success of its Lion intelligence cockpit, Chery’s 15-year AI odyssey – from early collaborations with Baidu to the 2018 CheryLion launch – reaches a new apex. “This collaboration with DeepSeek extends our commitment to AI-driven innovation,” says Verene Petersen, National Marketing Manager for Chery South Africa. “We’re not just enhancing showroom robots; we’re shaping the future of mobility.” DeepSeek’s edge lies in its use of NVIDIA H800 chips and an open-source ethos under the MIT protocol, slashing training costs while delivering transparency – a perfect match for Chery’s “technology for all” mantra.
Aimoga robots, already powered by DeepSeek’s V2, V3, and R1 models, are gearing up for real-world trials next week, with mass production on the horizon. Chery plans to deploy these humanoid helpers globally by mid-2025, starting with car sales assistance. This isn’t just about robots in showrooms – it’s a vision of an intelligent ecosystem blending human, robot, and vehicle interaction, positioning Chery as a pioneer in the AI-driven automotive frontier.
