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Buyer resistance to hybrid Rolls
An electric Phantom lacks the substance to earn the approval of Rolls-Royce buyersMore than most car companies, Rolls-Royce faces a battle to convince its clients they should buy hybrids and battery-electric vehicles, says the company's regional director for the Asia Pacific region.
Paul Harris, speaking with motoring.com.au last week for the local launch of the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II, offered the view that even while silent and effortless performance is certainly consonant with Rolls-Royce products, buyers do seem to expect a Rolls-Royce to deliver its power in a traditional way nonetheless.
"We had an experimental model that we brought to market a couple of years ago – called the 102EX – which was a hundred per cent electric Phantom, which we build as a vehicle one-off as a test-bed for engagement with our clients," Harris remarked.
"When we brought the electric car out it met many of the Rolls-Royce core values; it was silent, it was ideal for short journeys – which the Phantom generally speaking does... short journeys...
"The quality, the ride comfort and everything like that wasn't compromised at all.
"But something in the DNA of Rolls-Royce has always been about the engine...
"Having said that, we're always looking at leading edge engine technology, so I think a decision about hybrid or plug-in hybrid – or whatever variation it takes – will probably be driven more out of necessity..."
Rolls-Royce has been rumoured to be working on hybrid-drive systems for some time, and European legislation will make it practically mandatory for car companies like Rolls-Royce to smooth out their corporate average fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by bringing fuel-saving hybrid models to market. Hence Harris's point about the decision to forge ahead with hybrid system development probably being a future 'necessity'.
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Written byKen Gratton
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