German Car Zone

ROLLS-ROYCE OPENS SIXTH SHOWROOM IN GREATER CHINA

10 September

A new Rolls-Royce showroom was officially opened today in Hangzhou, China by Tom Purves, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ Chief Executive Officer.

The new showroom, the sixth for Rolls-Royce in Greater China, is situated in the commercial area of the city, opposite a famous tourist attraction known as the West Lake. With a floor space of over 400 sq.m, it can accommodate up to four Rolls-Royce models.

Other Rolls-Royce showrooms in Greater China are located at Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Speaking at the showroom grand opening, Mr Purves said, “This latest milestone is the first of several showroom openings which we announced in our Asia Pacific expansion plan at AutoChina 2008 in Beijing, earlier this year.”

At the opening, Mr Purves also unveiled the new Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé, the first time the two-door, four-seater grand tourer has been shown in Hangzhou. The most driver-oriented of the Rolls-Royce Phantom family, the car combines the design, craftsmanship and advanced engineering which has led to more new buyers embracing the brand – nearly two-thirds of the Coupé’s customers worldwide have not owned a Rolls-Royce before.


Also attending the ceremony was the Asia Pacific Regional Director for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Colin Kelly; General Manager for Greater China, Jenny Zheng and Dealer Principal of Sime Darby Hong Kong Limited, Peter Goh.

In 2008, Rolls-Royce has a four model line-up, the Phantom, the Phantom Extended Wheelbase, the Phantom Drophead Coupé and the Phantom Coupé. The Phantom remains the best-selling super luxury car in the world, with sales in 2008 breaking all previous records. A new Rolls-Royce model called the RR4, priced slightly below the Phantom, will be launched around the turn of the decade.

BMW group

I'll take a Drophead please.

M

Do you think Rolls will maintain its popularity in western markets?

-- I suspect we will see a sharp decline for the marque in the west -- such conspicuousness as the economy slides into recession and the blatant disregard for carbon emissions -- it just feels out of sync with reality.

I think so. Rolls has a cheaper model to introduce right when the Phantom group of cars start to fade so I think they'll be ok. A "cheap" Rolls-Royce is actually going to be seen as the smarter, more acceptable purchase and it will be much more affordable so I really think Roll-Royce will experience a Bentley-like boom before things really start to slow down.

M

Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how the new model does in the US. There is no doubt that the potential market is still relatively large, there are more people than ever who can afford these cars, it is just the social aspect of it.

Maybe we will enter a new period of austerity where such public displays of wealth will become less desirable -- the S class/7er/A8 are more politically correct and not perceived as "excessive". Of course, I am only talking about western markets, these types of social attitudes don't appear to even exist in some markets.

6 showrooms? That's a massive expansion and will lead to a boost in sales, especially when the baby Rolls is available.

I don't think that'll happen. When you have THAT much dough in the bank, you really wouldn't care what others think... I doubt Murcielago sales will plummit because people don't feel in-sync with the current economy.

^ I'm not so sure warot, things do come and go out of fashion -- some people will not care but many potential buyers are in positions where they are very careful about the public image they project -- it has little to do with social conscience and more to do with social trends ...and also 'what's hot/what's not' according to the arbiters of style. I will be curious to see what happens.

Well the ultra rich live very lavish lives and a Malibu ocean front home will undeniably be paired up with a car of the same greatness. It's a natural desire for humans to want best things in life, especially if they can afford them. The hierarchy is very obvious here in London where the three most popular chauffeur driven cars are the S-class, Flying Spur and Phantom. That is the exact ladder that many aspiring tycoon climb over here.

^sure, there will always be a market for these high-end luxury cars ....but we know sales of Bentleys have already slowed -- especially in the United States. Don't forget Rolls-Royce hasn't been so fashionable for decades -- but the bling decade is coming to an end.

But you are right, there will always be a market for such expressions of luxury and prestige ....regardless of the general social circumstances.