Rolls Royce presents its first electric model in Dresden

Rolls Royce presents its first electric model in Dresden

The luxury coupé “Spectre” heralds the end of the combustion engine era for the British luxury brand Rolls Royce. Radebeul dealer “Thomas Exclusive Cars” is satisfied with the pre-orders.

Charles Rolls, co-founder of the Rolls Royce car brand, bought an electric car in 1900. He was impressed by the quiet and clean running of the electric Motor Carriage model from Columbia Automobile. At the time, Rolls predicted that an electric car would make sense if there were permanent charging stations. 123 years later they are still there and there are more every day. And Rolls Royce is ready too. Last autumn, the first electric model of the British luxury brand came to the market – called “Spectre”.

On Thursday evening, Rolls Royce Motor Cars Dresden presented the car to its customers at the Dresden star Elements restaurant. About 80 guests came, most of them from Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. Some people also had their sons who wanted to sit in the luxury electric car. Although it was hidden under a black cloth in a tent in front of the restaurant awaiting its grand opening, Sören Luthardt, Rolls Royce brand manager in Radebeul, revealed what makes the Specter so special to him.

“The design is more modern, with sharper edges and there are new colors,” says Luthardt. As always, hand-stitched leather, premium wood inlays and precious metals are tastefully integrated inside. “It has been a good mix of tradition and modernity,†says the businessman. And the battery, which is anchored in the ground, has a range of up to 460 km, depending on the weather. It is quite enough. The BMW subsidiary asked its customers what kind of electric version of their favorite brand they should have. “Many customers wanted 350 kilometers per battery charge,” a spokesman said. Charging is not a problem. You will rarely see Specter in the Ionity range. “Our customers charge at home or in the office,” they say.

Luthardt would not reveal how many pre-orders Radebeul’s luxury car dealer has for the Spectre. Rolls Royce we are not talking about numbers. Just this much: “The Specter is well pre-ordered. We are very satisfied“. Despite the bad news about the slow progress of electromobility in Germany, the 49-year-old sees “no fear of communication” among his customers. Lightning fits the brand well and he hopes to be able to win new customers with the model, says Luthardt. “But basically they are buying a new Rolls Royce luxury car. The fact that it runs on electricity comes second,” says the brand manager, who has lived and worked in Dresden for 25 years.

Even if its customers are “financially relaxed”, the average purchase price of half a million euros probably leaves its mark on their bank accounts. The base price of the first E model is 390,000 euros. According to the Federal Motor Vehicle Authority, 16 vehicles were re-registered last year. Since production only started in the summer, it can be assumed that this number can easily be quadrupled. In any case, orders are no longer possible for this year, Specter is almost fully booked. The English car manufacturer, which has been part of BMW since 2000, has had a very successful year with a record amount of 6,032 cars produced.

According to our own information, the name is not related to James Bond, but it has been in the drawer of new models for almost a hundred years. But he hasn’t had a chance yet. “Now we’ve brought it back to life,” says a spokesperson, adding that Rolls Royce does not make any of its handcrafted cars available for film work. The danger is so great that in His Majesty’s service it may not be just a matter of scratches.