Automotive

 this morning in Frankfurt, with two sensors / measuring devices on the roof. 

But why using such an expensive vehicle? And why camouflaged like that on the street…isn’t it dangerous?

If the car is camouflaged, then it means something about the design isn't ready for public release. This Rolls most likely is a preproduction prototype from Rolls Royce itself rather than something like a Waymo autonomous Jaguar converted to self driving by an aftermarket operator. It may be that Rolls Royce and its parent, BMW, are testing technology integration for future production, and it might debut on whatever next-generation Cullinan we're seeing in this image.

I always just figured car/technologies development was happening in large uber protected compounds in the middle of nowhere. So, this is an eye opening view of additional approaches companies take to testing/development.

It’s standard practice. Depending on the car there can be over a 1000 per model used for final testing (obviously many fewer for RR). While some testing like extreme weather testing often takes place in remote places the majority takes place on public roads, so some camouflage is commonly used to ensure that the cars are not fully visible (although many only have some part camouflaged).

It’s taking place in public, yet the car is “camouflaged” (or partly so, which I’m not sure how to characterize the above RR). But why “camouflage” if in public…isn’t that dangerous?? And maybe I need to see in person, but how is the above qualifying as camouflaged when I can still see a big ass car?? I’m not being a smart ass since I’m clearly showing my ignorance on the topic, but some points seem contradictory/confusing. Seriously, again, how do you camouflage a car in plain public sight🤔. I’m going to go do some searching and reading on this topic…or perhaps a chat with Claude or chatGPT will humor me and answer additional dumb questions I’ll probably have.

What you see is either a fully camouflaged car, with some plastic cladding that somewhat alters the shape (in case of a fully new model) or then some camouflaged details in case it is a new model version or facelift. Sometimes the car is already in the market and they still camouflage details on some development vehicles they continue to run. If you are in the industry it’s incredibly easy to tell what car it is even in the fully camouflaged case - the overall size and shape, paired with the license plate are a dead giveaway. They could register the vehicles elsewhere but as your AI reply below says, it’s not about hiding the presence of the vehicle, it’s more about controlling the picture spread 😊👍🏻

“Automakers use disruptive black-and-white wraps on prototype vehicles to hide new body lines and disguise aerodynamic features from rival competitors. It also helps confuse autofocus on cameras, protects proprietary intellectual property, and builds suspense for the highly anticipated vehicle release.”
And more about the camo wraps: “The intricate patterns and high-contrast colors are designed to trick camera sensors and ruin autofocus on smartphones and professional equipment.”

It’s an old approach started by the British in WW1 to confuse German U-Boats. I can tell you from experience that phone cameras have no problem focusing on these kinds of vehicles 😉

I test drove the RR Spectre two years ago and found the car big, difficult to see out of, and not especially easy to drive.  Hoping the updated version has some small improvements. 

From a market perspective, it’s compelling to think who the target buyer is for this. And the same goes for the above SUV, which is harder [for me] to define a typical buyer. For people of means, this SUV is not even in my top 5 of what I would think the buyer would go for. Still, RR is not stupid and I’m sure they have the research to support the decision to develop anything they make. Amongst those, the Spectre looks striking…but maybe not the best driving experience as you mentioned.

Second most sold model in RR history. And the Series 2 really should need no cladding, or camo, since they are not changing anything outside 😉

That's a zeekr 9x, has nothing to do with a Rolls Royce in fact its Chinese