Here is a piece of good news for Rolls-Royce lovers. The super luxury car maker is planning to launch two new models in India this financial year - a convertible and an extended wheelbase version of the Rolls Royce Phantom.
"A coupe version will be launched by the next financial year," said Ian Robertson, chairman and chief executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
In a telephonic conversation from Rolls Royce's facility in Goodwood, UK, Robertson told Business Standard: "We have plans to set up two exclusive Rolls-Royce dealerships in Mumbai and Delhi in a couple of months."
The dealership will be managed by Navnit Motors, the exclusive dealer for BMW cars in India. Rolls-Royce is owned by BMW.
The company sold seven Phantom cars in India in 2005 and expected to sell another 10 in 2006, said Robertson. It is priced at Rs 3-5 crore (Rs 30-50 million).
"The response to Phantom is encouraging. We want to broaden our base in India with new models. We already have good order bookings for the convertible and the extended wheelbase model. We are anticipating good demand for the coupe version as well," he said.
The convertible and coupe versions would be equally popular in India, despite privacy and weather factors, said Robertson. "In South Africa, where the weather is almost the same as India, convertibles are quite popular," he said.
The concept version of the coupe model, codenamed 101 EX, was displayed at the recent Geneva Auto Show.
Rolls-Royce cars are highly customised to the requirements of customers. "About 70 per cent of our cars are customised without compromising on safety and engineering features," he said.
