Rolls-Royce Disallows Profits from Reselling its New Electric Vehicle

The Spectre, the inaugural electric vehicle from Rolls-Royce, will soon be available for purchase at a hefty price of $425,000. However, due to the limited availability, acquiring a slot will be quite challenging. Those considering buying one with the intention of reselling it for a quick profit should reconsider their plans. CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös has stated that customers who attempt to profit from reselling their Spectre models will face a lifetime ban from purchasing any future Rolls-Royce vehicles from authorized dealers, as reported by Car Dealer.

“I can tell you that we really sanitized the need to prove who you are and what you want to do with the car – you have to get in the car and then you might get an order,” he said. And anyone who violates the policy and sells Specter for a profit “will be immediately blacklisted and that’s it – you’ll never have a chance to buy again.”

The British company, owned by BMW, is not the first to ban the flipping of its vehicles. Last year, GM said it would ban buyers from turning in Hummer electric cars, the Corvette Z06 and other vehicles within 12 months, threatening to limit the transferability of certain warranties. On top of that, it offered the carrot of $5,000 in reward points to customers who kept the eighth-generation Corvette Z06 for at least a year.

With a possible lifetime ban, Rolls-Royce’s rules are even stricter, but some second-hand dealers aren’t happy. The London dealer told Car Dealer that it had already agreed to pay a £50,000 ($65,000) premium for two Spectre-EVs and will have them on sale “within two weeks of its launch” this autumn. “I don’t think it’s fair for car manufacturers to tell customers who have spent nearly half a million pounds on a car what they can do with it,” he said.

The Rolls-Royce Specter has received generally positive reviews, as you’d expect at such a price. The 102kWh battery gives it a WLTP range of 329 miles, and it should be relatively quick for a 2.9t (3.19t) vehicle thanks to a 576HP/664lb ft drivetrain. “Only a Rolls-Royce, maybe a Bentley, really lets you shut the door on the world, like a house deep in a park,” said Autocar – although you might be able to buy a parkland for less.