The introduction of battery-powered cars and plug-in hybrid options has been a major automotive trend in recent years. While some brands have been quick to invest in hybrid and electric vehicle (EV) options, others have been slower to make the switch. With that in mind, five luxury brands don’t currently offer any hybrid, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), or EV options.
1. Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo has been relatively slow to embrace hybrid and electric vehicles. The brand doesn’t offer any hybrid, PHEV, or EV models, but good news is on the horizon. Alfa Romeo has announced a plug-in hybrid model, the Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV. The 2023 Tonale will arrive in America with a 1.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and an electric motor that powers the rear wheels.
2. Bentley
Bentley plans to introduce five hybrid and electric vehicles by 2025, but the brand doesn’t currently offer any hybrid, PHEV, or EV models. The first Bentley hybrid will be the Bentayga SUV, which is expected to launch in 2026. Bentley’s other planned hybrid and electric vehicles include the Flying Spur sedan, the Continental GT coupe, and the Mulliner Bacalar.
3. Buick
A mid-tier luxury GM automaker below the more prestigious Cadillac, Buick has been one of the few General Motors brands without a hybrid or electric vehicle for a long time. That will soon change after an announcement that it will launch its first EV in 2024. The move comes after GM, Buick’s parent company, committed to investing in electric and autonomous vehicles by 2030. Buick’s first EV will be the Electra, which will adorn a series of cars rather than a single model (like Kia’s Niro family or the Hyundai Ioniq lineup).
Meanwhile, Buick plans for more EV models after unveiling the Wildcat EV concept at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show. The concept also borrows from the history of the Buick Avista, which was first shown in 2016.
4. GMC
As a technically (arguably) upscale luxury truck and SUV automaker, GMC currently doesn’t offer any hybrid, PHEV, or EV models. However, GMC is working on an all-electric Sierra Denali pickup truck, arriving in early 2024. Like its close cousin, the upcoming GMC Hummer EV SUV, the electric Sierra Denali is expected to offer the authentic off-road capability and premium features known from GMC Trucks.
5. Rolls-Royce
Despite being one of the world’s oldest and most luxurious automotive brands, Rolls-Royce has been slow to embrace hybrid and electric vehicles. The brand currently doesn’t offer hybrid, PHEV, or EV models.
However, its effort to electrification started more than a decade ago with an EV concept based on the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Recently, the automaker released details about its first all-electric new car, the Rolls-Royce Spectre. According to Car and Driver, the Spectre is expected to arrive in the market by the end of 2023.
So, there you have it, five luxury brands that currently don’t offer any hybrid, PHEV, or EV models. As we can see, some of these brands are starting to invest in electrification, while others still need to catch up. It will be interesting to see how this landscape changes in the next few years as we move toward a more electrified future.
