Rolls-Royce doubles down on EVs, planning SUV and sedan

Rolls-Royce will leapfrog rival Bentley into the all-electric era.

Rolls-Royce launched its first EV, dubbed the Spectre, in 2023 a year after the luxury coupe arrived to signal electric excess.

Automotive News reported the automaker is now planning two new EVs including a crossover and a sedan.

The second Rolls-Royce EV to join the lineup after the Spectre coupe will be an SUV. The automaker’s electric SUV is going to be full-size, but smaller than today’s V-12-powered Cullinan, according to Automotive News. Expect the electric SUV to arrive in early 2027.

Following the electric SUV in late 2028 will be Rolls-Royce’s third EV, a sedan. Automotive News reported the electric sedan will be the replacement for the full-size Phantom flagship. The Phantom is a historic Rolls-Royce nameplate and it’s unclear if the electric sedan will bear the name.

The Spectre will serve as the Phantom coupe’s replacement for the foreseeable future. Rolls-Royce already had to recall the Spectre EV due to an insufficient electrical ground that could increase the chance of a fire.

Like other automakers, Rolls-Royce committed to go all-electric by 2030, but unlike competitors, it remains steadfast with that commitment. Despite over 60% of Rolls-Royce vehicles having a V-12 under the hood during the first quarter of 2024, the automaker will wind down models with a combustion engine by the end of 2031.

Rolls-Royce’s main competitor, Bentley, said in 2020 it would have an entire lineup of plug-in hybrids by 2026 and move to an electric lineup by 2030. But in March Bentley noted its first EV won’t debut until 2026 with deliveries starting in 2027. That puts the luxury automaker’s first EV two years later than Bentley planned in 2020. Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark said the automaker will delay its plan to sell only EVs by 2030 blaming the changing market landscape.