Despite stagnant demand for electric cars, the famous luxury car brand, which only produces 25 cars per day, plans to launch an all-new EV this year.
Rolls-Royce has already launched its first zero-emissions model, the Spectre, which will indirectly replace the petrol-powered Wraith.
However, a second EV is expected to be unveiled later this year from the company’s Goodwood facility in the UK.
The famous British brand, now part of the BMW Group, has yet to reveal any details about its upcoming release, other than that it will actually be manufactured in the UK.
According to the BMW Blog, Rolls-Royce plans to invest approximately $370 million to prepare its factory for future full electrification, some of which will be spent on more vehicles for building bespoke and coachbuilt projects. The project will also be used to secure more manufacturing space.
However, according to another report published by Automotive News in September, the new electric model could be an SUV, rumored to be smaller than the Cullinan but still part of the full-size segment.
BMW Blog speculates that it could be larger than the BMW iX but smaller than the X7.
Unsurprisingly, the new Rolls-Royce boasts the popular car manufacturer’s familiar Architecture of Luxury platform, which is used not only in the Spectre, but all current V12 models.
A third EV to replace the flagship Phantom is said to arrive in 2028, but this is just a rumor.
Under BMW’s ownership, Rolls-Royce has flourished and expanded, from a company with around 300 employees producing just one car a day in early 2003 to a company with over 2,500 people producing around 25 cars a day. I grew up building cars.
Rolls-Royce’s current lineup includes the Phantom, Ghost (2nd generation), Cullinan and Spectre, each with different versions of the nameplate.
This comes after Porsche revealed in November that it plans to stick with petrol engines and move away from electric cars “much longer” than previously planned.
The German brand, which currently has a lineup of EVs including the all-electric Taycan and the recently launched electric Macan, has confirmed that it is considering revisiting the development of gasoline-powered vehicles.
Porsche has utilized hybrid power in many of its models over the years, but it wasn’t until 2019 that it finally released its first fully electric car, the Taycan.
Since then, the company has been considered one of the automotive industry’s biggest pioneers of electric vehicles running alongside gasoline-powered vehicles.
However, the sports car brand is starting to suffer from a slump in EV sales, with figures released in November showing sales of just 3,394 Taycans through the third quarter of 2024.
Porsche Chief Financial Officer Lutz Meschke said: “There is a clear trend towards internal combustion engine vehicles in the high-end luxury segment, and we will respond in the product cycle.”
General Motors also revealed its own struggles towards the end of last year, focusing on electric vehicles and a lack of profitability.
The auto giant announced a major recall and layoffs, and said in a letter to shareholders that while its EVs are not yet profitable, the company sees “progress” in the industry. .
This comes after the company recalled about 450,000 trucks and SUVs in September for a brake issue, but the specific problem was related to software in the electronic brake control module, and the brake The warning light may not display when fluid loss occurs.
Prior to that, in August, layoffs were made across GM’s software and services divisions, affecting about 600 employees in Warren, Michigan.
