Welcome to AdFeeder’s web Wednesdays, your weekly dose of the latest news and stories that have caught our eye. From technology news to the latest vehicle releases and everything in between, we aim to bring you a quick run down of what you need to know each week.

We’ve got another huge set of tasty news to go through this week, including some breaking news from one of Britain’s finest car brands. Are you ready?

Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII Photo: James Lipman / jameslipman.com

Are we about to see an electric Rolls Royce?

We’ll start with a big one, and one that as of now hasn’t actually been announced yet. If I were to say the name Rolls Royce to you, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? That ginormous chrome grille? The comically long wheelbase? Goldfinger’s Phantom III? All of those things would be perfectly plausible, but do the words Rolls Royce and EV go together? It’s likely we’re about to find out.

Rolls-Royce will make a “historic announcement” detailing its electrified future at some point today, likely giving clues to its first electric car, which it has promised to launch before 2030. If true, this EV will be the first car it has launched without a V12 petrol engine since it stopped using V8s in 2003.

Whilst there is a lot of debate around whether a brand renowned for their silky smooth V12 engines is the right brand to move to the silent side, it’s not actually Roller’s first rodeo in the world of electric cars. One of the co-founders, Henry Royce was heavily involved in the development of early automotive electrical systems as far back as the late 1800s before establishing Rolls-Royce, supplying electrical components to various other brands at the time. The other side of the name, Charles Rolls, meanwhile, owned an electric car as early as 1898 – a Columbia Electric Carriage – and suggested that such vehicles “should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged”.

Looking at today’s announcement, the idea of a fully electric Phantom or Wraith sounds incredibly appealing. It’s a car that glides rather than drives, turning any journey into one oozing with style, grace and comfort, meaning a silent powertrain will go perfectly with the Rolls Royce brand. This news is likely to come out any second now, so keep those eyes peeled!

Another milestone for TikTok

Next let’s head to TikTok, and a landmark announcement of a different kind. Now we all know by now the short form video app is a hit, a colossal hit at that, but they’ve just reached a milestone worth celebrating. More than 1 billion people around the world now come to TikTok every month to be entertained as they learn, laugh, or discover something new.

When you think about it, the success of TikTok truly is incredible. Despite a few huge curveballs and lawsuits, the app has seen success from dozens of countries around the world. There are many apps operating right now that have produced so many overnight celebrities, from chart-topping musicians to a man with some of the most recognisable hands in the world. TikTok seems to have really stepped up their game in their security, creativity and inclusion for all.

For context, check out these growth figures, they’re deeply impressive. TikTok said it had about 55 million global users by January 2018. That number grew to more than 271 million by December 2018 and 507 million by December 2019. The company reported nearly 700 million monthly active users last summer. Fast forward to summer 2021, and they reached the magic 1 billion mark. Here’s to another one billion TikTok!

Ferrari partners with iPhone designer’s new firm

Finally we head to another iconic car brand, and some exciting news to look forward to. Ferrari has agreed a long-term partnership with LoveFrom, the design firm established by former Apple iPhone designer Sir Jony Ive. You know the one, the guy with the silky smooth voice.

A quick Google of ‘LoveFrom’ doesn’t actually bring up much in the way of information, but the company was also founded by another ex-Apple employee Marc Newson. The firm said that the “first expression” of the deal will “bring together Ferrari’s legendary performance and excellence with LoveFrom’s unrivalled experience and creativity”.

Over the years, it’s been well documented that Ive and Newson are big car guys. Having owned a number of Ferrari models themselves, as well as some tasty Bentleys and even a classic Fiat 500. As someone who was so significant in the design of the original iPhone, the iMac G3 and the first ever Apple Watch, seeing what we can bring to Ferrari is going to be very, very interesting.

Is this really where Ferrari are heading?

This might just be us, but Ferrari has been going through a bit of an identity crisis as of late. Their designs are a little jumbled, and the constant stream of new, stupidly fast hybrid models is almost on par with McLarens efforts. Looking at them from purely a design perspective, the Roma is the only car that has some creativity to it. (In our opinion of course, and we’d welcome your responses to this one!). Before we start DM’ing Jonny Ive to share his doodles of the next Ferrari though, It’s unlikely that LoveFrom will work directly on future Ferrari car design, although it could be tasked with helping to refine Ferrari’s touchscreen user interface. It could also work on a range of non-car products for the brand.

Either way, it’s a huge signing for Ferrari, and one that we are very, very excited to see more from!