the award rolls in

Tilman Fertitta's ultra-luxury car dealership rolls in prestigious award

Tilman's ultra-luxe dealership has scored the national spotlight again.

Photo courtesy of Fertitta Entertainment

Not long after making headlines with cryptocurrency buzz, Tilman Fertitta’s luxe auto dealership is in the spotlight.

His Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Houston — the Gulf Coast's largest authorized Rolls-Royce dealership — has been recognized at the virtual Rolls-Royce World Dealer Conference as Rolls-Royce’s 2020 Dealer of the Year for the Americas

“For an award that usually goes to Miami, Los Angeles, or New York, this proves Houston’s luxury market demands attention,” Fertitta, CEO of Fertitta Entertainment and Owner of Post Oak Motor Cars, tells CultureMap. “This is a major accomplishment in the industry recognized by experts and consumers from around the world. Our city deserved this global recognition and I couldn’t be more proud of my team.”

In 2018, Post Oak Motors began accepting bitcoin cryptocurrency as payment for vehicle purchases. This month, the company announced that it would begin allowing payments made in dogecoin.

Rolls-Royce boutiques have been thriving even as the world went into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its award ceremony at the virtual Rolls-Royce World Dealer Conference featured a number of North American dealerships, including one from Texas.

"Our dealer partners are the foundation of our extended worldwide Rolls-Royce family," said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. "They are the face, voice and living proof of our brand and its promises to our customers. These global awards recognise and celebrate their outstanding achievements, and inspire greatness in all of us. I extend my congratulations to all the winners, and my personal thanks to every individual in our dealer network around the world."

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Continue reading this story on our sister site, AutomotiveMap.

Hail yeah

Amazon’s Zoox robotaxi service gears up to hit Houston roads

Photo courtesy of Zoox

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Amazon-owned robotaxi ride-hailing service Zoox is zooming into Houston later this month, becoming the latest robotaxi operator jockeying for local riders.

Initially, self-driving retrofitted SUVs with safety drivers on board will serve downtown Houston, centrally located tourist hotspots, and certain residential neighborhoods. The SUVs will test Houston roads before Zoox rolls out autonomous robotaxis here, the company says.

Zoox takes Houston for a test drive

At the outset, Zoox says, a limited number of vehicles will be driven by people to gather data about Houston roads.

“This helps create a detailed picture of each street, from road geometry to traffic lights,” the company says. “Once we have mapped out an area, we will test autonomous driving capabilities. Safety and operational readiness govern the pace of our rollout.”

Zoox says its robotaxi differs from vehicles operated by other ride-hailing services.

The robotaxi “is purpose-built for autonomous ride-hailing and designed for riders from day one,” the company says. “It has no traditional driving controls and instead has carriage-style seating, sliding glass doors, and features that let the rider personalize their journey.”

Along with Houston, Zoox is launching this month in San Diego. The ride-hailing service already operates in Austin, Dallas, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

Zoox breaks into “sprawling” Houston market

Zoox describes Houston as its “most sprawling market to date.”

“Driving here means navigating complex service-road networks, unique merging scenarios, and challenging environmental conditions, including severe heat, heavy rain, and urban flooding,” the company says. “It’s a rigorous test of our technology across geography and terrain.”

Zoox will join two other autonomous ride-hailing services in Houston:

Waymo began rolling in Houston in February. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, owns Waymo.
Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla began offering robotaxi services earlier this year.

A third Zoox competitor is arriving within the next year. A partnership comprising rideshare provider Uber, EV manufacturer Lucid, and autonomous technology company Nuro plans to launch a robotaxi service in Houston by mid-2027.