Could Rolls-Royce produce a small car or even an SUV? It’s not out of the question.
Former R-R managing director Ian Robertson, who heads up sales and marketing worldwide for parent company BMW, said: “Rolls-Royce has to move with the times and we have a couple of things we are looking at in terms of evolving the design and these could be additional to the cars we already make.
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“Even though this is a super-luxury vehicle, the brand has to see if there are other areas it could move into. We are looking at all sorts of things but we will not rush into anything. Luxury SUV is a growing market, we are discounting nothing but we are not in a position to confirm anything.”
With the luxury segment continuing to grow across the world, Robertson said that the company will be opening flagship BMW-Rolls-Royce dealerships around the world.
These will include a 36,000sq m outlet in Abu Dhabi, the largest such dealership in the world.
Speaking ahead of BMW’s annual accounts press conference, Robertson said: “The luxury business in general is worth EUR1 trillion which is a significant amount of money. This includes fashion, watches, hotels, travel, spas and clubs but 25% of the world’s luxury market, or some EUR250bn, is cars and it is growing rapidly in places like China, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Female purchasers are also much more significant than in the past and so we are seeing a shift in the market dynamic.
“We are looking to elevate the customer experience and offer a unique brand experience to further the fascination customers have with our brands.”
New flagship dealerships will also open in key cities including London, Paris, Munich, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Abu Dhabi, New York and Beverly Hills.
Robertson added: “There is an increasing number of people with available cash to spend and, if you look at the high net worth individuals, the most are in the USA, 5.2m, China, 1.1m and the UK, 570,000.
“We have to understand the needs and desires of customers worldwide and expand our offerings across the luxury line-up accordingly.”
Over a third of BMW’s sales are generated with large cars, Rolls Royce in the super luxury segment, 6 and 7 series in the luxury segment and 5 series and X5 in the premium market.
Robertson said: “There will be increasing levels of individuality demanded by customers in the luxury segments. The largest proportion of Rolls-Royce models we sell are bespoke one-offs.
“The interiors of these flagship dealers have to be right for luxury products and give customers a better proposition.”
