It’s common for manufacturers to offer discounts on the purchase of specific models when they’re more challenging to sell, typically at the end of the year or at the end of a production cycle.
The Rolls-Royce Spectre launched for the 2024 model year
The model starts at $500,000 in Canada
The Spectre is Rolls-Royce’s first all-electric model
They need to make room, so bring on the discounts.
We’ve seen this with gasoline-powered models, as well as with electric vehicles, particularly with the withdrawal of subsidies on both the Canadian and American sides. Down there, this is the situation several manufacturers have been experiencing since the end of September, when the Trump administration removed the $7,500 credit for purchasing or leasing specific models.
However, we never see discounts with prestige brands, whether it’s Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley, or Rolls-Royce.
Clients Immortalize Beloved Dog in Bespoke Rolls-Royce Spectre Bailey
Yet that’s precisely what’s happening with the Spectre electric sedan, which clearly isn’t selling at the rate the company’s executives would like in the United States.
According to information obtained by CarsDirect, the company is offering a $5,000 USD credit for 2025 and 2026 model years, until November 30th. It’s somewhat laughable given the Spectre’s price, which is around $400,000 USD. In Canada, the base price of the large sedan is approximately $500,000 CAD. On the Rolls-Royce Montreal website, a 2025 unit is listed at just over $700,000 CAD.
Offering $5,000, whether in American or Canadian currency, on a car that expensive is the equivalent of providing a Toyota RAV4 buyer a credit of about $600.
That won’t make a difference.
However, the gesture is symbolic and reveals a great deal about the American market’s appetite for electric vehicles these days. It’s an important distinction. Let’s remember that the Spectre was the brand’s best-selling vehicle in 2024 on the European continent.
The manufacturer doesn’t share sales figures for its models, which prevents us from further analyzing the American market. One thing’s sure: the move is controversial.
A Technological Masterpiece
Otherwise, the Rolls-Royce Spectre remains an extraordinary car.
Equipped with a 102 kWh battery and two electric motors from BMW’s stables, it delivers 577 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. This road behemoth, weighing around 6,300 pounds, dispatches the 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) sprint in just 3.7 seconds, which is mind-blowing. And it does so with incomparable serenity.
By the way, if you’d like to learn more about this model, we invite you to check out the road test we conducted last year.
As for what comes next, it will be interesting to see how the company reacts regarding the marketing of its model on American soil. What’s clear is that a $5,000 discount won’t suddenly convince buyers.
Intriguing, to say the least.
