Rolls-Royce has unveiled an electric Phantom at the Geneva motor show. It's a one-off, an attempt to both test and change consumer habits rather than test of technology, according to the carmaker's boss. "It is often a market research project," CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos told Business Today.
The experimental vehicle also aims to change customers' attitudes by making them aware that even ultra-luxury cars will need to move with the times. "We cannot use 12-cylinder engines forever," Mr. Muller-Otvos said.
Rival responses
Rivals at Bentley and Daimler-owned brand Maybach watched the unveiling of the electric luxury auto with fantastic interest. Bentley's CEO Wolfgang Durheimer told Business Today that the Crewe-based carmaker would "conduct a deep evaluation of future power trains".
"Electrification and hybridization had been among the important technologies I introduced at Porsche and I believe there is potential for these technologies in Bentleys too," he explained. Dieter Zetsche, chief executive Daimler, told Business Today there was no demand for electric Maybachs so it wouldn't follow suit.
"The number of ultra-luxurious cars being made is already very low, so it could be far too pricey to introduce a wide selection of engines and other power train solutions," he said.
