Rolls Royce Spectre's India launch confirmed for January 19

Rolls Royce is going to officially launch its first EV in India on January 19, 2024. Earlier in November 2023, the company delivered the first unit of the Spectre in Chennai. Sitting between the flagship Phantom and the Ghost, the Spectre is expected to have a starting price of ₹7-9 crore, ex-showroom.

Unlike other Rolls Royce vehicles, the Spectre will not use the company's proprietary 6 ¾ V12 engine, but rather a set of electric motors on each of the wheels, making it a 4WD vehicle. With its 430 kW and 900 Nm drivetrain, the EV coupe enables the behemoth to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in a remarkable 4.4 seconds. The Rolls Royce Spectre is said to have a range of 323 miles or 520 km with a power consumption of 2.9 mi/kWh or 21.5 kWh/100 km thanks to a 102 kWh battery pack.

Speaking of the design, the front of the Spectre features the broadest Rolls-Royce grille ever, which intersects the split headlight treatment. It's interesting to note that the iconic "Pantheon grille" is illuminated by 22 LEDs to remind people of the electric Rolls Royce. To aid in directing air around the front of the vehicle, the Pantheon grille's vanes have been smoothed off and fitted with a flusher.

Interestingly, Rolls Royce has also modified its trademark 'Spirit Of Ecstacy' for the EV, which is now fashioned more aerodynamically thanks to its narrower wingspan. The company was able to lower the drag coefficient of the Spectre Rolls-Royce to 0.25cd thanks to all these modifications made to the front of the vehicle, making it the most aerodynamic Rolls Royce vehicle ever.

While sitting on 23-inch wheels, the new EV has a fastback profile and the biggest single-body panel ever manufactured for a Rolls-Royce, which extends from the A-pillar to the baggage compartment. Meanwhile, the jewel-like vertical tail lamps remain colourless for neutrality, anticipating the plethora of colourways chosen by clients during the commissioning phase.

As with all Rolls-Royce motor cars, the Spectre's interior suite provides clients with nearly limitless Bespoke options. The new front seat design is influenced by British tailoring, with lapel parts that can be rendered in colours that contrast or complement the primary basis. Bespoke stitching, embroidery, and elaborate piping have all been considered in the design process. Spectre is also available with Starlight Doors, which combine 4,796 gently illuminated 'stars' for the first time on a series production Rolls-Royce.

The coach doors can also be ordered with a Canadel Paneling backdrop, named after the cove in the south of France where Sir Henry Royce and his design team spent their winters. A first for the Rolls-Royce client has the ability to request unique designs that extend beyond the physical world and into the digital architecture that drives SPIRIT.

SPIRIT handles the functions of the vehicle, integrating the marque's Whispers application, allowing clients to engage with their vehicle remotely and get real-time information curated by the marque's luxury intelligence professionals. The colour of the dials can now complement the interior hue of the motor automobile, inspired by its clientele's passion for personalized timepieces.

Riding like a Rolls Royce should

The vehicle is 2,975 kg in weight and has dimensions of 5,453 mm in length, 2,080 mm in width, and 1,559 mm in height. Rolls-Royce has modified its well-known "Planar suspension" to handle the weight.

Thanks to advancements in hardware and software, Rolls-Royce's renowned "magic carpet ride" is now feasible with planar suspension, a symphony of systems that responds appropriately to driver inputs and road conditions.

The Planar system is able to disconnect the car's anti-roll bars and enable each wheel to respond independently, reducing the rocking motion that happens when one side of a vehicle strikes an undulation in the road. It does this by utilising a suite of new hardware components and utilising Spectre's high-speed processing capabilities. Additionally, this lessens high-frequency ride irregularities brought on by subpar road surface quality.

Furthermore, the Planar system recouples the parts and stiffens the dampers when it senses an impending corner; the four-wheel steering system is thus ready to go to guarantee easy access and departure. In order to keep Spectre steady when cornering, 18 sensors are monitored, and the power delivery, suspension, steering, and brake settings are changed. Control comes easily as a result.

Rolls Royce's new journey

Rolls-Royce describes the Spectre as "more than a motor car; it is a statement of intent and a symbol of a bright, bold future as Rolls-Royce progresses into an all-electric era."

Rolls Royce says that the Spectre confirms that technology has advanced to the point where it can contain the Rolls-Royce experience. To that goal, Rolls-Royce has stated that its whole product portfolio will be entirely electrified by the end of 2030.

Earlier Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said, “Spectre possesses all the qualities that have secured the Rolls-Royce legend."

Charles Stewart Rolls, Co-Founder of Rolls-Royce, stated in 1900 that electric cars are quiet and clean. There is no sound or smell. As a result, when fixed charging stations are available, they should be quite handy.

The Spectre, a spiritual successor to the Phantom Coupé, is built on the Rolls-Royce 3.0 platform, with an emphasis on electrification and linked technology. Notably, the first Goodwood-era Phantom, constructed on its own customized architecture, debuted in 2003. Rolls-Royce 1.0 marked the brand's revival.

Following that, the 'Architecture of Luxury' was conceived: a new, highly flexible all-aluminium spaceframe design and imaginative engineering feat that could be customized for electric driving, as well as today's Phantom, Cullinan, and Ghost models, as well as Coachbuild projects. Rolls-Royce 2.0 was the name given to this enlargement of the marque's portfolio.

In its third generation, the platform’s aluminium sections and the battery's integration into the motor car's structure have enabled the Spectre to be 30% stiffer than any previous Rolls-Royce. Additionally, the architecture's flexibility has allowed engineers to place the floor halfway between the sill structures rather than on top or underneath them.

Furthermore, a channel has been built between the battery and the floor for wiring and climate control piping, with the battery positioned underneath for a completely smooth underfloor profile. This not only results in a low seating position and an enveloping cabin, but it also provides a supplementary role for the batteries of about 700kg of sound deadening.