A FAMOUS luxury car brand that makes only 25 vehicles a day is set to release a brand new EV this year – despite demand for electric cars stalling.
Rolls-Royce has already launched the Spectre as its first zero-emission model – which indirectly replaced the petrol-powered Wraith.
Rolls-Royce is set to release its second EV in 2025 – despite demand for electric cars waning[/caption]
The luxury car maker has already launched the Spectre – its first zero-emission model[/caption]
They’ve also forked out some $300million on its facility in the UK to focus on its electric future[/caption]
But later this year, their second EV will be unveiled – fresh from their facility in Goodwood in the UK.
The famous British brand, which is now part of the BMW Group, has yet to reveal any details about its upcoming release – other than that it will indeed be built in the UK.
According to BMW Blog, Rolls-Royce will be investing some $370 million to prepare its factory for an all-electric future, while some funds will also go to creating more manufacturing space for building Bespoke and Coachbuild projects.
But according to another report published by Automotive News in September, the new electric model could be an SUV and is rumored to be smaller than the Cullinan but still part of their fullsize segment.
BMW Blog speculates it could be bigger than the BMW iX but smaller than the X7.
Naturally, the new Rolls-Royce will boast the familiar Architecture of Luxury platform which is exclusive to the much-loved carmaker and has been used for all of their current V12 models, as well as the Spectre.
A third EV is allegedly coming in 2028 to replace the flagship Phantom, although this, again, is merely a rumor.
Under BMW’s corporate umbrella, Rolls-Royce has flourished and expanded, going from around 300 employees in early 2003 that made only one car per day, to more than 2,500 that assembles approximately 25 vehicles daily.
Rolls-Royce’s current range includes the Phantom, Ghost (Second Generation), Cullinan and Spectre, with each nameplate boasting various iterations.
This comes as Porsche revealed back in November it plans to stick with petrol engines for “much longer” than previously planned and pull back from electric cars.
The German marque, whose range of EVs currently includes the all-electric Taycan and the recently-released electric powered Macan, have admitted they’re looking to recommit to the development of gas-powered vehicles.
Porsche have utilized hybrid power for many of their models for years, but it was in 2019 that they finally released their first fully-electric vehicle – the Taycan.
Since then, they’ve been seen as one of the motoring world’s biggest pioneers of electric cars running alongside their gas-powered models.
But the sports car brand has begun to experience sales stagnation with their EVs, selling just 3,394 units of the Taycan through the third quarter of 2024 – using figures published in November.
Porsche’s CFO Lutz Meschke said: “There is a clear trend in the premium luxury segment in the direction of combustion-engine cars, therefore we will react in our product cycle.”
General Motors also opened up on their own struggles towards the tail-end of last year – with a focus on their electric vehicles and their lack of profitability.
The car giant announced a mass recall as well as staff layoffs, while in a letter to shareholders they revealed that their EVs are still not profitable – but the company is seeing “progress” in the industry.
This comes as the brand recalled around 450,000 trucks and SUVs over braking issues in September, with the specific problem relating to the electronic brake control module software – which may fail to display a warning light when a loss of brake fluid occurs.
Before that, in August, there were layoffs across GM’s software and services sectors, which affected around 600 employees in Warren, Michigan.
