Do Not Expect A Self-Driving Nor Hybrid Rolls Royce

The Rolls-Royce Phantom is the pinnacle of ultra-luxurious motoring. But it doesn’t have any kind of autonomous or hybrid technology—for a very good reason. Besides, if you can consider a $450,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom, you can surely afford to pay someone to drive you around.

 Rolls Royce is the world’s oldest autonomous brand. Most Rolls-Royce owners throughout history have left the driving to a chauffeur. But today, when the largest automakers are racing to offer ever-advancing levels of semi-autonomous capability, you can’t get any sort of self-driving tech in a brand-new Rolls. And the reason has to do with the British automaker’s approach to modern luxury.

Currently, Rolls Royce cars are not used for daily driving purposes. When people drive Rolls, it’s for special occasions. They have garages like we have wardrobes, for every occasion the right car.


Self-driving technology simply isn’t among the features today's Rolls-Royce buyers request. And while the executive realizes that trend will someday change, Rolls-Royce is taking its time in pursuing any kind of autonomous feature. All Rolls owners have chauffeurs. Wealthy customers won’t want to abandon the human interaction of a real-life chauffeur.

Another current trend among luxury automakers is the push towards advanced hybrid drivetrains. Here again, Rolls-Royce is happy to let other brands rush ahead. The automaker has committed to a pivot to electric drivetrains, but it won’t pursue hybrids as a halfway point.


While these decisions may seem counter-intuitive in an ultra-luxury market defined by cutting-edge technology, they represent a key Rolls-Royce philosophy: Timelessness, not trendiness. You feel it when you sit in the new Phantom. With the touch of a button, the infotainment screens disappear behind polished wood; the climate system is controlled by metal knobs labeled red for hot, blue for cold, not touch-pads or digital temperature displays.

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