Speaking to Motor Magazine, the former vice-president of Product Management Automobiles & Aftersales at BMW doesn’t believe in hybrid and plug-in hybrid solutions for Rolls-Royce. Even though “there is a transitional phase between combustion engines and electric motors,” the head honcho wants to keep the twin-turbo V12 alive for “as long as possible.”
Müller-Ötvös didn’t give a timeframe about the change, but he maintained that Rolls-Royce isn’t interested in V8-based powertrains in the meantime. Using the inline-six from BMW is a no-no too, let alone a four-cylinder as the 7 Series plug-in hybrid used to feature before the mid-cycle refresh.
The question is, why is the CEO so bent on not going hybrid? “China is very keen on promoting electric vehicles for their own industry, and that is what the future is.” Reading between the lines, Rolls-Royce is following the money instead of cutting back the carbon footprint, step by step.
As for the electric revolution in Goodwood, there’s no denying BMW will play as big a role in development as the N74 did for the twin-turbo V12 in the Phantom and Cullinan. The twelve-cylinder engine dates back to 2008, when BMW introduced the N74B60 in the 760i and 760Li with a displacement of 6.0 liters. In the case of the M760Li xDrive and Rolls-Royce, make that 6.6 and 6.75 liters, respectively.
Be it the Cullinan or Phantom, the N74 emits more than 300 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer. For the sake of comparison, the Ferrari 488 Pista manages 263 grams while the McLaren 720S is even greener (249 grams). Looking at the bigger picture, Rolls-Royce is hanging on to a dinosaur of an engine.
Adding insult to injury, the naturally aspirated engine in the Ferrari 812 Superfast emits 340 gr/km. On the other end of the spectrum, the 6.5-liter V12 in the Lamborghini Aventador S isn’t exactly friendly to the environment (394 gr/km).
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