---
title: "Rolls-Royce Is Not Interested in Hybrids or Autonomy. Got it?"
description: "All-electric or bust, says the British luxury automaker."
date: "2017-07-04"
modified: "2017-07-05"
authors:
  - name: "Chris Tsui"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/chris-tsui"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/article/12126/rolls-royce-is-not-interested-in-hybrids-or-autonomy-got-it"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Autonomous Cars"
  - "Electric Cars"
  - "Goodwood Festival of Speed"
  - "hybrid"
  - "hybrids"
  - "luxury cars"
  - "Rolls-Royce"
---

# Rolls-Royce Is Not Interested in Hybrids or Autonomy. Got it?

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/07/p90268104_highres_rolls-royce-sweptail-e1499162711523.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Electric cars are the future. You know it, I know it, and evidently, [Rolls-Royce](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/11877/jon-olsson-swaps-his-lambo-for-a-810-hp-rally-ready-rolls-royce-wraith>) knows it as well. Because of this, the ultra-luxury automaker is saying it has no interest in the underdeveloped halfway house that is hybrid technology. All-electric or bust.

Speaking to *[Autocar](<https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/rolls-royce-rules-out-hybrid-powertrains-electric-models>)* at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Otvös concedes that electricity is the way of the future, but will only be adopted by Rolls-Royce once it is fully developed and worthy of its particular clientele.

"Electrification is the way forward – and there will be no in between steps for us like hybridization. It is the propulsion system for the future, make no error. There is a time, nobody can predict when, when there will be no combustion engines. That will take a long, long time, but it will happen."

Müller-Otvös goes on to say that Rolls-Royce customers are not looking for bleeding-edge, revolutionary technology when they get into one of his cars. Rather, absolutely flawless and [unbridled luxury](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/7812/rare-2017-rolls-royce-ghost-black-badge-is-a-400000-apparition>) is the name of the game and thus, there is no room for unproven tech in the Rolls-Royce engineering department.

As for that whole [self-driving, autonomous cars](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/12110/chinas-saic-gets-california-autonomous-car-testing-permit>) thing? It'll come, but the RR boss, in a moment of [ballerific](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/10739/13-million-rolls-royce-sweptail-could-be-most-expensive-new-car-ever-made>) self-awareness, reminds us that Rolls-Royce buyers have had that for decades now. "For our customers, it’s not really a requirement, because many have chauffeurs. So for that reason, it exists already. I haven’t had a single customer say to me, ‘Torsten, when is the autonomous Rolls-Royce coming?'"

Touché.

## Author
Chris Tsui is *The Drive*'s former Reviews Editor and current freelance automotive journalist. He's based in Toronto.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/cltsuii/>)