Worries in R-R house, EU bans illuminated Spirit Of Ecstasy

KUALA LUMPUR: Saving the environment is important, and countries all over the world are doing their bit to minimise the impact. The surge of electric cars is one such effort by the auto industry in the direction. Now, we hear that the European Union has banned the illuminated Rolls-Royce badge, the Spirit Of Ecstasy. Why? Well, the illuminated bonnet ornament fails to comply with the EU's new light pollution regulations.

So, what happens next? Rolls-Royce has discontinued the illuminated structure from its option list. Also, customers with the lit-up unit need to get it removed. The automaker in its statement said that the price of the said option will be refunded and it will be replaced by a silver-plated Spirit Of Ecstasy.

It is to be noted that this ban only applies to the cars in the EU, elsewhere Rolls-Royce customers are still free to flaunt the illuminated bonnet ornament. But what happens if the owner doesn't get the illuminated Spirit Of Ecstasy removed from the car? It's hard to imagine the cops pulling over a Phantom for the light-up bonnet ornament.

While speaking to The Daily Mail, a Rolls-Royce spokesman said, "In February 2019 we sent our dealers a bulletin saying we were removing the option of an unlit Spirit of Ecstasy. It was no longer to be sold to customers. It came off the options list. Sadly, we are telling our customers that we will by law have to disconnect their Spirit of Ecstasy."

In the latest news, Rolls-Royce recently introduced the all-new Ghost that rides on the brand's all-aluminium Architecture of Luxury platform. Roll-Royce has tuned the car with a unique suspension setup with a damper on the upper wishbone that contributes towards smooth ride quality. Adding to the car's luxurious feel are several elements like the newly developed illuminated front fascia, a lot of screens, better soundproofing and audio quality, and self-closing doors. In addition to the all-new second-gen Ghost, R-R has now on-board the Extended version of the saloon that brings additional space for rear passengers.

Also Read: Rolls-Royce is all set for its new logo and signature colour