Rolls-Royce rolls out its first EV 'Spectre'

Irene Nikkein, regional director for the Asia-Pacific region at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, poses for a photo beside the all-electric Spectre coupe in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, Friday. [NEWS1]

Rolls-Royce took to Seoul on Friday to introduce its first all-electric Spectre coupe for the first time in the Asia-Pacific region.

Spectre, a two-door, four-seater luxury coupe, is the British carmaker's first-ever fully electric model in its 117 years of history.

"Korea has the largest number of pre-orders for the Rolls-Royce Spectre" in the Asia-Pacific region, the carmaker's Asia-Pacific region director Irene Nikkein said during a press event in Seoul on Friday.

Nikkein said Korea is one of the key markets for Rolls-Royce, with its sales in the region growing 45 percent over the past three years.

Rolls-Royce sold 171 cars in Korea in 2020, 225 in 2021 and 234 in 2022.

Rolls-Royce expects the Spectre coupe to be "a game changer" in its super luxury segment, Nikkein said, adding that "it's a Rolls-Royce first, and electric second."

The carmaker conducted test driving of more than 2.5 million kilometers (1.6 million miles) for the Spectre coupe, with 50,000 riding hours, according to Rolls-Royce.

The salient feature of Spectre's exterior is the grille, which Rolls-Royce says is its widest ever. The model is 2 meters wide and 5.5 meters long, equipped with 23-inch wheels.

Bespoke options are available for not only hardware but also its digital instrument dial set. It is the first time for Rolls-Royce to offer a bespoke commission for its software.

The Spectre needs 4.5 seconds to go from zero to 100 kilometers per hour. It can drive 520 kilometers on a single charge.

Its powertrain generates 577 horsepower, or 430 kilowatts, with 91.8 kilogram-meters of torque.

The sticker price of Spectre starts from 622 million won ($488,418).

Spectre will be available for sale starting the latter half of the year. Their delivery will begin in the fourth quarter.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]