Rolls-Royce recently unveiled the eighth-generation limousine, the Phantom, which is now looking to the future. The brand announces that it will not go through the hybrid. The future Phantom will be entitled directly to an electric version.
With its two and a half tons and its big V12 six quarts under the hood, the Rolls-Royce Phantom is not really what is called "ecofriendly". And with the new environmental standards that are preparing for automakers, this kind of engine is now in the hot seat.
According to the boss of Rolls-Royce, the Phantom will just take the step on the next generation: "we will go directly to the electric, without doing any intermediate step". Torsten Müller-Ötvös thinks in particular of the hybrid, which would obviously not have much interest in a liner of more than five meters, intended primarily for long journeys.
The quotas wanted by Asia, and more particularly China (20% of so-called "new" energies at least for 2020 for the manufacturers present on the spot) inevitably worry brands like Rolls-Royce, which depend on market as the Middle Kingdom. In addition, the threat of a ban on some thermal cars in cities could lead customers to claim electric vehicles.
The Phantom will switch to the electric, but we do not know when. Let's bet that the English manufacturer has already started working on the subject, to anticipate possible traffic bans for the generous V12.