NEW DELHI: Ultra-luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce on Friday launched its first electric car, the Spectre, in India at a starting price of Rs 7.5 crore. The super coupé is the first battery-powered four-wheeler from the garage of Rolls-Royce as the marquee British brand aspires to become fully electric by the end of this decade (2030).
For the newly launched Spectre, the waiting period is about 1 year (depending on the level of customisation). This means a buyer will have to wait one full year from the time booking is made and delivery is completed. Generally, the average waiting period for Rolls-Royce cars is about 6-8 months.
The long waiting period is attributed to the high level of customisation as every single unit goes through to match the buyers' likings. The customisation, an expensive affair, can push the prices of Rolls-Royce cars by up to a few extra crores. Add to it, the company manufactures only about 6,000 units of these cars every year in its facility located in the United Kingdom.
Yadur Kapur, Dealer Principal, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars New Delhi, said that demand for ultra-luxury supercars, in particular, Rolls-Royce cars in India has been on the rise for the last two years.
Without giving sales numbers, Kapur said Rolls-Royce’s India sales doubled in calendar year 2023 compared to sales in 2022.
“We are growing at a high double-digit figure and have a very strong order pipeline for 2024…The factors attributing to our sales are the growth of the Indian economy, the local car market becoming the third biggest in the world and consumers’ desire to enjoy luxury in life,” said Kapur.
Explaining the emerging trend in this super niche market, Kapur said that the average age of Rolls-Royce buyers has come down to about 35 years. “Our buyers have become younger,” said Kapur, adding that their clientele list included people from varied professions.
“From lawyers and doctors to tech billionaires and business people, our customer list is very wide…They are very knowledgeable. They know about their cars and they also know exactly what they want in their car…Geographically, sales are coming from all across India. It is not only the tier 1 cities now,” said Kapur.
Rolls-Royce has three showrooms in India- Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai. Its best-selling models here include the Ghost and the Cullinan SUV. The carmaker will increase its dealership network after growing further in the Indian market.
Addressing the challenges in the market, Kapur said the only concern they have is currency depreciation (INR) which affects car prices in India. The other worry is about the government increasing taxes. At present, these expensive machines which are imported as completely built units, attract a 200% customs duty.
Kapur said taxes coming down is always good for the industry. He also pins hope on the much-delayed India-UK foreign trade agreement (FTA) to bring some relief for them.
“FTA with UK should affect prices but there is no clarity on it now as what’s gonna happen and when it’s gonna happen. But when it is gonna happen, it will help,” said Kapur.
Coming to Spectre, the EV is powered by two electric motors that produce a combined output of 576bhp and 900Nm of torque. The coupe can go from 0-100kmph in 4.5 seconds. It is fitted with a 102kWh battery with a claimed range of 530km.