Rolls-Royce is working on an electric crossover to battle the Bentley Barnato and spy photographers recently snapped a prototype undergoing testing in Munich. While that’s notable by itself, the model appears to have an old school split hood.

Thanks to a beefy camera lens, we can see the ‘hood’ will have a central spine with a retractable spirit of ecstasy hood ornament at the front. On either side are two movable panels, which apparently lift up similar to a trunk lid.

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Rolls-Royce filed a patent for the idea in 2024 and it gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect. We can also see what appears to be a hinge at the front of the hood, although it looks like a drill attachment with a Phillips bit when you zoom in closer.

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Forgotten tools aside, the crossover has a fully enclosed grille with a top-mounted camera. It’s flanked by split lighting units including lower headlights with “RR” badging. The model also sports a wide lower intake with horizontal bars.

The rest of the design is far more conventional and closely echoes the current Cullinan. As a result, there’s a strong shoulder line and slab-sided bodywork. They’re joined by a familiar greenhouse, a relatively flat roof, and a thick rear pillar.

The déjà vu design continues out back, but the EV has a unique bumper that lacks exhaust cut outs. The bumper also houses the license plate recess, which is a change as it’s mounted to the liftgate on the Cullinan.

These similarities originally had us believing the model was the second-generation Cullinan. However, there’s been some speculation that the two crossovers could co-exist alongside each other – at least initially.

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While there are more questions than answers at this point, the model will undoubtedly follow in the footsteps of the Spectre. The coupe sports a 102 kWh battery pack as well as a dual-motor all-wheel drive system developing 577 hp (430kW / 584 PS) and 664 lb-ft (900Nm) of torque.

This enables the model to accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 4.4 seconds and have a WLTP range of 329 miles (530 km). There could also be a more powerful Black Badge variant with 650 hp (485 kW / 659 PS) and 793 lb-ft (1,075 Nm) of torque.

That being said, the crossover could benefit from newer technologies like the facelifted 7-Series. BMW recently announced the flagship sedan is getting their Gen6 eDrive technology and this will include a cylindrical cell lithium-ion battery with a 20% higher energy density. We can also expect the model to incorporate some other Neue Klasse advancements.

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Rolls-Royce once promised a whisper-quiet electric future. Turns out, its customers still prefer a different kind of whisper. The kind that comes from a silky V12 under a mile-long hood.

The British luxury marque has quietly backed away from its plan to go fully electric by 2030. Instead, it’ll keep building petrol-powered cars well into the next decade, because that’s what its ultra-wealthy clients are still asking for. And when your customers are dropping $400,000 or more on a car, you tend to listen.

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According to CEO Chris Brownridge, demand for EVs just isn’t universal among Rolls buyers.

“For every client that loves an electric vehicle there is one who does not,” said Brownridge, according to The Times. “We recognise some clients would rather have a V12 engine. The V12 is part of our history.”

It’s also part of the experience. Rolls-Royce buyers aren’t chasing lap times or charging speeds. They want effortlessness, presence, and that unmistakable waftability a big combustion engine delivers.

Though we can’t help thinking it’s maybe more about knowing there’s a V12 up front rather than experiencing it. A smooth, silent, effortlessly responsive electric motor setup like the one in the Spectre (seen below) that Rolls launched in 2022 seems like a logical fit for a uber-luxury sedan or coupe in the way it’s not for a $1 million hypercar that’s all about noise, drama and emotion.

Regulations Are Also Shifting

The shift isn’t just about customer taste, anyway. Changing regulations have played their part. Softer government EV targets in key markets have given Rolls-Royce more breathing room, and since it operates as a low-volume manufacturer, it isn’t bound by all of the same rules as mass-market brands.

That flexibility matters. Rolls builds cars to order, meaning it can adapt to what clients actually want rather than chasing arbitrary production targets. Right now, that means a mix of electric and petrol, not an abrupt switch to one or the other.

Rolls-Royce isn’t alone in hitting the brakes. Bentley, Aston Martin, and Lamborghini have all softened their EV timelines as reality catches up with ambition.