Why Rolls-Royce is Scrapping All-Electric 2030 Commitment

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, owned by BMW Group, has abandoned its ambition set by former CEO, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, to stop producing ICE vehicles by 2030. 

This comes as multiple automotive manufacturers have revised their production of EVs, including Ford, Bentley, Mercedes and Porsche.

According to BMW Group’s 2025 Report, deliveries of its flagship EV, the Spectre, were down 47% to 1002 units, compared to 1890 units in 2024. 

What Chris Brownridge said

Rolls-Royce’s current CEO, Chris Brownridge, told the Times that the pledge made by Torsten was “right at the time”.

Chris told the Times: “The legislation has changed. That prediction was based on a different set of circumstances. 

“We recognise some clients would rather have a V12 engine. The V12 is part of our history.”

“For every client that loves an electric vehicle there is one who does not."

Chris continues: “Some clients do want an electric vehicle, we build what is ordered.”

The Rolls-Royce Spectre

Torsten said in 2021: “With this new product we set out our credentials for the full electrification of our entire product portfolio by 2030. 

"By then, Rolls-Royce will no longer be in the business of producing or selling any internal combustion engine products.”

The announcement was made to coincide with the release of the company’s first EV, the Spectre. 

The Spectre is a luxury EV with an electric range of 530km, and CO₂ emissions of 0 g per km.

Chris says of the car: “Spectre has been created with the same legacy that defines every Rolls-Royce. As the first of its kind, it marks a distinct moment in our history. 

“Our clients understand this intuitively and commission Spectre as a Rolls-Royce to be admired and passed down for generations. This was reflected in its reception: Spectre was our most successful coupé launch to date.”

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The luxury EV market

According to McKinsey, openness toward luxury EVs is highest in Asia (about 50% for BEVs and hybrids combined), compared with 36% for the Europe, Middle East and Africa and 33% for the Americas. 

McKinsey says that a significant portion of respondents in its Luxury Automotive Survey indicated that they expected to buy at least one more vehicle fitted with an internal combustion engine (ICE), and 19% stated that they would never buy a luxury EV.

The top reason that respondents in McKinsey’s survey who are delaying or refusing to buy a luxury EV cited was related to the unclear residual value of used EVs.

In 2025, BMW Group reported that the ICE Ghost V12 Model deliveries were up 22.9% from 808 in 2024, to 993 in 2025.

Rolls-Royce’s ICE V12 Cullinan was the best performing model with 5,664 deliveries in 2025.