“Very pleasing” demand for first electric Roller ahead of late 2023 launch
It’s not due to arrive in Australia until late 2023 at the earliest but already cashed-up local customers are putting money down to reserve an example of the Rolls-Royce Spectre, the super-luxury brand’s first EV.
Revealed in disguised form only months ago, the ground-breaking two-door electric coupe commences the BMW-owned British car-maker’s swap to an entirely electrified line-up by 2030.
“We are already taking deposits in Australia for Spectre,” confirmed Rolls-Royce Asia-Pacific regional sales manager Ian Grant.
“We’ve already seen some very keen interest spread around the market areas we look after in Australia, whether it be inner-city living, or whether it be more holiday home living up in the north of Queensland.
“We’ve had deposits from people who have not owned Rolls-Royces before and people who have owned maybe a couple in the past.”
Grant wouldn’t talk order numbers, only saying Aussie deposits were “very pleasing”. There is also no confirmation of Spectre pricing at this stage, although expect it to be more expensive than the existing V12-powered Wraith two-door GT ($710,000 plus on-road costs).
Aussies who have placed deposits are able to follow the Spectre’s development through a new EV section of the owners-only Rolls-Royce app Whispers.
Little detail has been released about the tech specs of the Spectre, but Rolls has confirmed it will share the same fundamental aluminium spaceframe Architecture of Luxury chassis with other more recent models in the range including the Ghost, Cullinan and Phantom.
It will likely utilise BMW’s battery-electric powertrain technology, with a twin- or quad-motor layout producing at least 1000Nm of torque. Back in 2011 the Phantom-based 102EX test vehicle emerged with 800Nm, so that will likely be bettered.
Grant revealed most Australian Rolls-Royce buyers prefer to drive themselves and that is one reason Spectre is proving of interest here.
“The people we have been speaking to so far are keen on the immediate power delivery and the driving dynamics,” said Grant.
“And that’s one of the reasons we took the decision to bring our first EV in a two-door model. While EVs are very silent and very comfortable limousines, actually one of the key things our clients were saying is they wanted the driving dynamics of an EV.
“Everyone knows of the immediate power and the very fast 0-100km/h times that you can post.”
Grant suggested the Spectre would be a daily driver for many customers. He also confirmed Rolls would back the car with infrastructure services for buyers.
“When the vehicle is launched there will be a smart charging box available through Rolls-Royce and we will offer consultative services via local suppliers to make sure electric supply in the properties is done at an optimum level,” he said.
Grant confirmed Australian deliveries would commence as soon after the global reveal as possible. Cars will be flown in if necessary, as has happened for past new model releases.
“Q4 2023 is a little bit far away for me to predict the logistics of the world, but we will ensure we bring the vehicle in as soon as possible into the Australian market,” he said.
While enthusiastic about Spectre, Grant was more cautious in his forecasts when it came to the transition of the brand to electrification by 2030. He said he was unaware of any backlash to the decision, or of any buying rush for the current V12-powered range.
“I think the mindset will change in the driving behaviour,” he predicted. “I haven’t seen any direct backlash yet [among Rolls-Royce buyers], just questions about range anxiety. But I think that is slowly going to dissipate.”
Keyword: Aussies splash cash on Rolls-Royce Spectre EV