Rolls-Royce is working on EV called 'Silent Shadow'

Rolls-Royce confirmed it is working on an all-new vehicle called Silent Shadow as the ultraluxury brand prepares to offer a full-electric car to its customers this decade.

The BMW unit last year filed a trademark with the German patent office for the name Silent Shadow, a nod to the Silver Shadow model sold from 1965 to 1980.

But Rolls-Royce CEO, Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes, has not revealed a potential launch date for the vehicle.

"That is still a secret," he said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. "But it will of course obviously be a brand-new Rolls-Royce, rest assured."

Regulation is catching up with automakers, with many countries such as the UK planning to ban the sale of combustion-engine vehicles.

While some of the attraction of owning a Ferrari comes from the sound of its engine, Mueller-Oetvoes said the quieter tones of Rolls-Royces work well with battery power.

"Electrification fits perfect with Rolls-Royce -- it's torquey, it's super-silent," he said. "We are not known for roaring loud engines and exhaust noises whatsoever, and that is a big benefit."

While the pandemic suppressed vehicle demand in many regions, Rolls-Royce's production run is booked out for the year. Orders started to rise strongly from the fourth quarter of last year as the pandemic unleashed a free-spending attitude, Mueller-Oetvoes said of the company's clients.

"Many of them have witnessed how quickly life can end, and so it's good to enjoy life today and not to postpone it to any later years," Mueller-Oetvoes said.