Rolls-Royce Revs Up Custom Cars For Super Rich As EV Demand Drops

When Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd. launched the Spectre in late 2023, the British automaker’s ultra-wealthy customers jumped at the chance to buy the brand’s first electric vehicle that offered a silent ride over the noise of a V12 engine. 

Two years on, early enthusiasm has waned for the $420,000 model which can reach 60 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds, and sales have slumped, suggesting even billionaires are hesitant about buying EVs. The luxury marque looks set to fall in line with other brands by walking back earlier electric-only pronouncements by the end of the decade.

In an interview at Rolls-Royce’s Goodwood base, Chief Executive Officer Chris Brownridge said the brand would cater to what buyers want – all while ramping up customizations, including putting more resources into a global network of private offices for one-on-one client meetings.

“We will launch more electric-powered Rolls-Royces, but they’re Rolls-Royces first,” said Brownridge. “We see very strong demand for V12 — where the client demand continues for that engine, we will continue to produce Rolls-Royces as well.”

Automakers across Europe have been rolling back their electric ambitions as demand has disappointed, with the EV transition becoming uneven across the globe. Last month, the European Union watered down its EV push, effectively scrapping a 2035 ban on the sale of new combustion-engine cars, while the US has U-turned on EVs under President Donald Trump.

After a fast start with Spectre in 2024, its first full year of sales, deliveries of the model slumped 45% in the first three quarters of 2025 from a year earlier, compared to a 3.3% rise for all Rolls-Royce vehicles, analysis of BMW group’s earnings shows. Spectre’s share of Rolls-Royce’s total sales has fallen to below a fifth this year, from a third for the whole of 2024.

“If you look at a concept such as this, it has a very high demand initially and then it stabilizes – and remains stable for its life cycle,” Brownridge said. “It’s what we saw with Wraith and with Dawn in the past.”

Rolls-Royce — the top luxury-car maker based on average pricing excluding low-volume sportscar brands — isn’t an ordinary automaker, representing, alongside the likes of Ferrari NV and Bentley, more of a luxury lifestyle rather than a means of transportation. Owned by Germany’s BMW AG, it only sends a vehicle down the production line once someone places an order, usually customized to taste. The manufacturer, in line with its parent’s strategy, can make EV and V12 models on the same line, and typically churns out one car every 32 minutes (compared with roughly a half minute elsewhere for mass manufacturers).

Some customers take months to design their perfect car. 

“That is something we’re seeing such a demand for,” Brownridge said in the company’s presentation suite, where the most loyal customers are given the full Rolls-Royce experience, with a Spectre hulking in the background. “We’re looking at putting more resources into our private offices.”

Rolls-Royce is currently doubling the size of its Goodwood site to cope with soaring demand for bespoke models. Buyers are opting for brighter colors and flash interiors, prompting a new paint shop to be built in the expanded space. Extras extend to special wood-carved interiors and “Starlight Headliners” with a chosen constellation or pattern of fiber optic lights stitched into the roof.  One customer wanted a particular lime green color for a new car — after spotting a frog in that hue during a hike in the Amazon. 

Catering to these requests has helped boost average selling prices to above £500,000 ($673,575), from around £300,000 a decade ago. More than 20 cars delivered last year cost at least £1 million. The company is well set up for intricate designs with many jobs still done by hand. On a tour of the plant in mid-December, a worker was evening out wrinkles in the leather seats using a fishbone. 

All these extra touches — and the money that comes with them — are helping Rolls-Royce offset a global decline in luxury spending, particularly in China. Data from market researcher Jato Dynamics shows that Rolls-Royce has, like its European rivals, suffered weak sales in China. The US was already the company’s largest market but it’s become even more dominant.

As for slower Spectre sales, there are likely some additional factors at play. It’s a coupe with only two doors, making it more of a performance model than the larger Cullinan sport utility vehicle, with SUVs popular among both mass market buyers and the wealthiest. Rolls-Royce owners are unlikely to suffer from range anxiety, driving their vehicles on average roughly 6,000 kilometers a year. That’s around 11 full battery charges, Brownridge said. The carmaker has no plans to start offering plug-in hybrid models.

Even as Spectre sales have tapered off, a solid baseline of demand should be sustainable, according to Eric Zayer, who heads Bain & Co.’s European auto practice.

“Compared to ultra-luxury sports cars, electric drivetrains are much more attractive to limousine buyers as it delivers the smoothness, punch and torque they need,” he said.

The Spectre has met expectations, according to Brownridge. “What we wanted to do is demonstrate that, as and when the world becomes electric, Rolls-Royce can still produce the best car in the world,” he said. “Our experience with Spectre gives us confidence about the future.”