The Rolls-Royce Spectre launches the company's electric future

“With this new product we set out our credentials for the full electrification of our entire product portfolio by 2030. By then, Rolls-Royce will no longer be in the business of producing or selling any internal combustion engine products.”

Those are the words of Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös. And ‘this new product’ alludes to the car you see above. Or rather don’t see, for the disguise is best described as heavy.

“It is the beginning of a new legacy for our brand,” continues Torsten. “In that spirit, we have decided on a completely new name for this car. It’s a name that perfectly fits the ethereal and other worldly environment within which our products exist – a name that we have reserved especially for this moment: Spectre.”

Is it an accident they’ve named a car Spectre on the day everyone’s talking about the latest James Bond film? Who’s to say, but the camo'd coupe you see here has an exciting plot all of its own – it’s the headline EV that’ll take Rolls towards an electric-only future from the beginning of the next decade. It’s based upon the same architecture as the latest Phantom, and it’s already out testing.

“We have conceived the most demanding testing programme in Rolls-Royce’s history,” says Torsten. “We will cover 2.5 million kilometres – a simulation of more than 400 years of use for a Rolls-Royce, on average – and we will travel to all four corners of the world to push this new motor car to the limit. 

“You will see these test cars on roads, around the world. Look out for them – they will be in plain sight. They will be tested in all conditions and over all terrains on their multi-million-mile journey – that will literally accelerate Rolls-Royce into the future.” 

And if you don’t manage to spot one all camo’d up and testing, then the real thing will be delivered to customers towards the end of 2023. So while there's no tech spec for now, this isn't some pie-in-the-sky concept that's a long way down the line.

Thoughts?