Rolls-Royce has unveiled its first electric vehicle while announcing a pledge to phase out combustion engines by 2030.
Called Spectre, the new model is expected to go on sale in late 2023 and has been showcased in a number of teaser images highlighting a two-door coupe shape similar to that of the current Wraith.
Many of the car’s finer details are hidden by a projected graphic that incorporates a quote from company co-founder Charles Rolls.
The full power output and range of the Spectre have yet to be announced, but it would make sense if it used key bits of the new BMW iX SUV.
The company's Chief Executive Officer, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, said: “Today is the most significant day in the history of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars since May 4, 1904. On that date, our founding fathers, Charles Rolls and Sir Henry Royce, first met and agreed that they were going to create ‘the best motor car in the world’.
“Today, 117 years later, I am proud to announce that Rolls-Royce is to begin the on-road testing programme for an extraordinary new product that will elevate the global all-electric car revolution and create the first – and finest – super-luxury product of its type. This is not a prototype. It’s the real thing, it will be tested in plain sight and our clients will take first deliveries of the car in the fourth quarter of 2023."
Rolls has already dabbled in electric powertrains in both its 102EX and 103EX concepts. The Goodwood-based firm says that these cars prompted questions from clients as to when a production version would be arriving, as electric power is seen as the ‘perfect fit’ for a Rolls-Royce.