With several automakers expected to switch to all-electric lineups in the not too distant future, it’s only a matter of time until the arrival of electrified powertrains will force the extinction of massive combustion engines. Rolls-Royce loves its 12-cylinder engine, but even Rolls-Royce expects that it will soon be extinct, since it predicts that by 2040, its entire lineup will feature electrified powertrains.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ӧtvӧs revealed that Rolls-Royce is going to try to build the V12 engine as long as it can. “We will definitely offer 12-cylinder engines as long as we can, as long as it is legally allowed to offer them,” he stated. While most Rolls-Royce fans may not even think of the idea of not having the V12 engine, there will come a time when it has to be phased out.
Luckily we’re still quite a ways away from 2040, but Rolls-Royce already sees the benefit of electrified powertrains for its lineup.
“Electrification actually fits extremely well with Rolls-Royce because it’s silent, it’s powerful, it’s torquey, so in that sense it’s a very good fit.”
We won’t likely have to wait until 2040 to get an electrified Rolls-Royce, since it’s expected that the new Cullinan SUV will eventually get a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
