OEM INTERVIEW | ROLLS-ROYCE
Luxury
amplified
Despite fl irting with the idea, Rolls-Royce has yet to jump
on the electrifi cation bandwagon and produce its fi rst EV,
but CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös admits that it is unavoidable
if the company is to continue its success in the future
WORDS: LEON POULTNEY
Rolls-Royce is not a company to rush
into things. Everything it does is
deeply considered, meticulously
planned and executed with the sort
of precision other manufacturers
could only dream of. The thought of leaping
into anything makes Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten
Müller-Ötvös feel uneasy.
“Take the Cullinan, for example. We took
our time with it. We didn’t join the party as
fi rst guests, we arrived when it was in full
swing, but we still managed to deliver true
off -road capability, a ‘magic carpet ride’ in
a true Rolls-Royce package,” he explains with
a wry smile on his face.
The question that provided this patient but
slightly irked response is one that MüllerÖtvös
has been fi elding a lot lately, and it
94 // July 2019 // www.electrichybridvehicletechnology.com
surrounds the electrifi cation of an institution
that is built around the silent power of its
formidable, hand-crafted V12 internal
combustion engine.
“We are prepared and we are committed to
go electric. I have said it before many times,
but we will defi nitely go electric in the next
decade and we are already preparing the next
project to surface and then go from there. Step
by step, the brand goes fully electric. Electric
only,” he says.
It comes as no surprise that this line of
questioning surfaces often, seeing as the 102EX
Phantom Experimental Electric fi rst fl irted
with the idea of the world’s fi rst battery electric
vehicle for the ultra-luxury segment back in 2011.
Serving as a working test bed to give owners,
VIPs, the media and enthusiasts the
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