Hot on the heels of yesterday’s unveiling of the Ghost Black Badge, Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös has revealed electric vehicles will also be receiving the sporty treatment. In an interview with CNET’s Roadshow during an event held in Miami, Florida, the British luxury brand’s head honcho announced the Spectre will spawn a more athletic version.
When asked about whether a Spectre Black Badge is on the way, Müller-Ötvös responded with: “Yes, definitely.” As a matter of fact, the man in charge at Rolls-Royce said every zero-emissions model will be sold as a Black Badge as well. While RR is eager to expand its portfolio of sportier offerings, it’s not going to be the case with the Phantom as the flagship model will skip the Black Badge specification.
Naturally, the company’s boss refused to go into details about zero-emissions Black Badge models, but we’re expecting the usual upgrades. A stiffer chassis seems like an educated guess, along with slightly more power, and subtle styling accents inside and out as demonstrated on past products, including the Wraith and Cullinan Black Badge.
Müller-Ötvös told Roadshow the Spectre “will be a proper Black Badge product, that’s for sure. We want to position electric [power] in a very emotional car. [The Spectre] is very much a driver’s car.”
Teased at the end of last month, the fully electric Spectre is programmed to go on sale towards the end of 2023 and will likely be shortly followed by the Black Badge derivative. Before that happens, prototypes are going to be subjected to extensive tests by covering 1.55 million miles (2.5 kilometers) or more than any other Rolls-Royce before. The company has mentioned this high mileage represents the equivalent of owning one of their cars for no fewer than 400 years.
The Spectre will kick-start Rolls-Royce’s electric agenda as the brand will switch exclusively to EVs by the end of the decade.
[Source: Roadshow]
