Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is planning to expand the $245,000 Ghost model line that went on sale last year as ultra-luxury nameplate of Bayerische Motoren Werke aims to double sales in 2010.
Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes said in an interview at the carmaker’s headquarters in Goodwood, England said he is confident that the company will see a ghost derivative.
From Economictimes.indiatimes.com:
Rolls-Royce, which competes with Volkswagen’s Bentley and Daimler’s Maybach, is known for its hand-craftsmanship and what enthusiasts call a “magic carpet” ride because of the car’s smooth on-the-road handling. Munich-based BMW bought the rights to Rolls-Royce cars for $70 million in 1998 and re-launched the brand at a new factory in 2003.
The Ghost is Rolls-Royce’s second product line after the stately Phantom, which starts at $380,000. Even with its cheaper price tag, the smaller model, which is 5.4 metres in length, will boost operating profit, Mueller-Oetvoes said. The Ghost has spurred growth for the exclusive marque after the financial crisis depressed sales 17% in 2009. Rolls-Royce delivered 1,467 cars through August, already surpassing the record since BMW took over of 1,212 in all of 2008. The company aims to sell at least 2,000 cars in 2010, after delivering 1,002 last year.
“Rolls-Royce has always been a really super premium brand and BMW has kept them at the top of the market,” said Jonathan Poskitt, an Oxford, England-based analyst at JD Power & Associates. “The rich are still rich, and that end of the market is driven in some sense by what models are available.” Rolls-Royce’s factory, which occupies a corner of the aristocratic estate that hosts the annual Festival of Speed motoring event, currently produces about 12 Ghosts a day and 3 Phantoms, spokesman Andrew Ball said.
The Rolls-Royce CEO added that there is still a lot of potential in the market for a less formal Rolls model.
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