Rolls-Royce glides into the electric age

Rolls-Royce will silently glide into the electric age this winter with the arrival of the Spectre — the British marque's first battery-powered vehicle.

The 2024 Spectre starts at $420,000 and promises performance in an ultraluxury package.

The coupe is "a Rolls-Royce first and an electric car second," CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös said.

The tony BMW Group subsidiary is the first major ultraluxury brand to launch an electric vehicle, putting it ahead of rivals Bentley, Aston Martin and Ferrari.

All new Rolls-Royce models will be zero-emission as the brand goes fully electric by 2030, with all combustion engine models being retired after the 2031 model year.

Until then, Rolls-Royce won't leave V-12 enthusiasts in the cold.

"We've not fallen out of love with V-12, and we'll invest in it to meet new requirements," Müller-Ötvös told British publication Autocar this year.

Electric crossover: Rolls-Royce's planned second EV — a full-size utility vehicle — could arrive as soon as 2026.

Spectre: The electric coupe fills a gap in the lineup left by the Wraith, which was discontinued in 2022.

Built on the Architecture of Luxury aluminum platform shared with the combustion-powered Cullinan and Ghost, the Spectre is the most aerodynamic Rolls-Royce, with a 0.25 drag coefficient.

Aided by a fastback design and lightweight all-aluminum doors — the largest ever fitted on a Rolls — the Spectre delivers a combined 584 hp and 664 pound-feet of torque. It clocks 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. A 102-kilowatt-hour CATL-made lithium ion battery pack powers the dual- motor beast for up to an EPA-estimated 264 miles on a single charge.

The Spectre sports a suspension technology that scans the road surface ahead and adjusts ride quality. The system decouples the anti-roll bars on straight roads, allowing each wheel to act independently, keeping the Spectre from rocking when it hits a bump. When a curve is spotted, the components are re- coupled, the suspension dampers stiffen, and the steering system prepares to activate.

Rolls-Royce describes the technology as "an orchestra of systems" that combines custom hardware and processing software to deliver a "magic carpet ride."

The Spectre will arrive late this year. A variant from the engineering and performance subbrand Black Badge arrives in the fall of 2024.

The Spectre could see a freshening in 2028.

Cullinan: Rolls-Royce's bestseller in the U.S. should get a freshening in the second half of 2024. A next-generation model isn't planned, but the V-12-powered large crossover will stick around until the decade's end.

Phantom: The eighth-generation Phantom received a midcycle freshening for the 2023 model year, which brought aesthetic updates, including an illuminated Pantheon grille and headlights featuring "laser-cut bezel starlights."

A 6.75-liter twin-turbo V-12 delivers 563 hp and propels the large sedan from 0 to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds.

Rolls-Royce could replace the Phantom with an electric sedan in 2027. It is unknown whether the Phantom name will continue.

Ghost: The sedan shares the Architecture of Luxury platform with the Cullinan and Phantom. A 6.75-liter V-12 engine delivers 563 hp, and the vehicle features all-wheel drive and all-wheel steering.

A Black Badge version arrived last year with a 6.8-liter V-12 that delivers nearly 30 extra hp.

The Ghost will receive a freshening in the second half of 2024 and continue through the end of the decade, after which an all-electric replacement will arrive. It is unknown whether the Ghost name will continue.