Sir Alan Sugar recently met the future workforce of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars during a visit to the Goodwood factory. Sir Alan took a tour of the West Sussex facility and took the opportunity to chat with apprentices from the wood, leather, assembly and paint departments. The star of the Apprentice TV show is endorsing Gordon Brown’s new policy to boost the skills of the nation, with a goal of one in five young people gaining an apprenticeship within the next ten years.

Sir Alan said “I was blown away with the investment Rolls-Royce has made in the apprentice scheme at this leading-edge factory. The level of craftsmanship needed to produce one of their high quality cars is incredible. The apprentices are being taught skills that I thought were a thing of the past, it is very encouraging and impressive to see it in action. There’s a real sense that a future British workforce is being trained in an excellent way”.

Several hundred new jobs will be created with the launch of a new model series, codenamed RR4, in 2010. Current staff numbers stand at around 700, having increased by around 100 with the launch of the Phantom Drophead Coupé in 2007.

Details of the Rolls-Royce apprenticeship programme, graduate scheme and current vacancies, are available from www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars will reveal a new model to their Phantom line at the Geneva Motor Show on the 4th March 2008. The Phantom Coupé will stand alongside the Phantom and Phantom Drophead Coupé and production is due to start in the summer at Goodwood.

The Phantom Coupé is described by Rolls-Royce as the most driver-orientated model of the Phantom range. With a 25% increase in fuel capacity compared to the Phantom Drophead Coupé. The Phantom Coupé is the most torsionally rigid car Rolls-Royce have ever produced. These two factors along with the 453 BHP normally aspirated 6.75-litre V12 will on paper make this a great grand tourer.

Like the Phantom and Phantom Drophead Coupé, the Phantom Coupé features rear-hinged doors which aids access to the rear lounge seats. New to the Phantom line is a picnic boot. A split rear tailgate opens to create a comfortable seating platform, which sounds ideal for an impromptu picnic. The interior also shows the LED roof lining, first seen in the limited edition Phantom Tungsten.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Chief Designer, Ian Cameron, said “Rolls-Royce has always been about pace, performance and style. For the Coupé design we gave the quintessential Rolls-Royce design a dynamic twist. This adds a sense of drama to the outstanding engineering and drivability that are fundamentals of Rolls-Royce cars. The dynamic drive of the Phantom has always come as a surprise to customers and the Coupé takes it one step further.”

If the Phantom Coupé performs half as good as it looks, it will give the Bentley Continental GT a run for it’s money. We will have to wait for the Geneva Motor Show to see this stunning car in the flesh.

The term “eco-friendly” would probably not be the first word that comes into your head when you think of Rolls-Royce. Rolls-Royce may indeed make the world’s finest cars, but manufacturers like Toyota and Lexus could argue that their hybrid vehicles are the greenest.

Yet in an interesting video interview with Ian Robertson, Chairman and CEO of Rolls-Royce Motors Ltd. Lou Ann Hammond on CarList.com, an expert in alternative energy technologies, probes Mr Robertson for some details of Rolls-Royce’s environmental commitment.

There can be no doubt, that in this day and age of throw away products - use them then bin them. Rolls-Royce are leagues ahead of any other car manufacturer. Since 1904 when the first Rolls-Royce cars were produced, between 70 and 75 percent of the cars are still on the road! What is the life expectancy of the Prius or a G-Wiz? Are they designed for 100 000 miles or 100 years?

When you take a look at how the latest generation of Phantoms are manufactured, then the eco-friendly Rolls-Royce argument is even more valid. The aluminium used in the production is all sourced from a hydro plant in Norway. The Goodwood Rolls-Royce factory has an eight acre living roof, storm water is recycled to help cool the building and the use of large windows reduces the factory’s use of energy for lighting. So although at first glance a Rolls-Royce would not be the vehicle to take on the next eco rally, in some ways it is up there with some of the most frugal vehicles.

The aluminium space-frame of the Phantom helps it achieve class leading fuel economy and CO2 emissions of any car in the ultra-luxury segment. Although a huge car, it weighs a fraction less than the Bentley Continental Flying Spur which helps make it very efficient - for it’s size.

When quizzed about future power plants for Rolls-Royce, Mr Robertson would not rule out even diesel engines, a rumour I have heard about the new “Baby Rolls” aka RR4 too. What would really be fabulous would be to see a fuel cell powered Rolls-Royce. BMW the parent company, have been hard at work developing the BMW Hydrogen 7. The trouble with hydrogen is that there is no nation wide distribution structure set up. Almost like the age old conundrum - which comes first - the chicken or the egg? This is a problem that will hopefully be addressed in years rather than decades, but I for one would love to see a hydrogen powered Rolls-Royce.