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From Nora Miethke
Charles Rolls, co-founder of the car brand Rolls Roycebought an electric car in 1900. He was impressed by the quiet and emission-free drive of the Motor Carriage electric model from the manufacturer Columbia Automobile. At the time, Rolls predicted that an electric drive would make sense when there were permanent charging stations. 123 years later, they exist and more are being built every day. And Rolls Royce is ready too. Last fall, the British luxury brand launched its first fully electric model - called the "Spectre".
On Thursday evening Rolls Royce Motor Cars Dresden presented the vehicle to its customers at Dresden's Michelin-starred restaurant Elements. Around 80 guests, mainly from Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, attended the event. Some of them even had their sons with them, who wanted to sit in the luxury Stromer themselves. While the car was hidden under a black cloth in the tent in front of the restaurant awaiting its ceremonial unveiling, Sören Luthardt, Brand Manager for Rolls Royce and Bentley in Radebeulwhat makes the Spectre so special for him.
"The design is more modern, with sharper edges and there are new colors," says Luthardt. Inside, as usual, hand-stitched leather, the finest wood inlays and precious metals are tastefully combined. "It has become a good mix of traditional and modern," says the retailer. And the battery, which is anchored in the floor, can cover up to 460 kilometers depending on the weather. Quite sufficient. The BMW subsidiary asked its customers what range they would like the electric version of their favorite brand to have. "Most customers wanted 350 kilometers per battery charge," said a spokeswoman. Charging is not a problem. The Spectre will rarely be seen at an Ionity charging station. "Our customers charge at home or in the office," they say.
Luthardt does not reveal how many pre-orders the Radebeul-based luxury car dealer has for the Spectre. Rolls Royce does not talk about figures. Just this much: "The Spectre has been 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 reservations" among his customers. Electric suits the brand well and he expects to be able to win new customers with the model, says Luthardt. "But first and foremost, they are buying a new luxury Rolls Royce. The fact that it is electric only comes second," says the brand manager, who has lived and worked in Dresden for 25 years.
Even if his customers are "financially relaxed", the average purchase price of half a million euros is likely to leave its mark on their bank accounts. The base price for the first e-model is 390,000 euros. According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, 16 new vehicles were registered last year. As production only started in the fall, it can be assumed that this figure could well quadruple. In any case, no more orders are possible for this year, the Spectre is as good as fully booked. The British car manufacturer, which has been part of BMW since 2000, has had a very successful year with a record volume of 6,032 vehicles delivered.
Incidentally, the name has nothing to do with James Bond, but has been in the drawer for new models for almost a hundred years. It just hasn't been used yet. "We have now revived it," says a spokeswoman, adding that Rolls Royce will never make one of its handcrafted vehicles available for filming. The risk is far too great that, in the service of His Majesty, it could end up with more than just scratches.
