From Goodwood in the UK to Hyderabad. Rolls Royce Motor Cars, the marquee super luxury British automotive, comes back to one of its favourite hunting ground in India — Hyderabad, once the land of Nizams.
If the RR, known for its famous badge and the swank cars it makes for the super rich, had a great run in the country during the first half of the 20th century, it was due to the patronage of the likes of Nizams of Hyderabad and other royals..
Custom-built
In fact one of the Nizams of Hyderabad, Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan Asaf Jah VII, had a fleet of 50 Rolls Royce cars, spelling out his liking for luxury and, more importantly, his affluence. His collection featured a Barker-Coach built Rolls Royce Silver Ghost acquired in 1912.
During 1907 and 1947, of the 36,000 sold globally, India accounted for more than 1,000, according to Rolls Royce. The company sold 2,711 cars globally in 2010 and expects to surpass this number, aided by the growth witnessed in the markets in the Asia-Pacific region, including China and India.
Rolls Royce is known to be the ultimate in automobile building.
You just don't buy a Rolls, you commission it. Potential buyers mayspell out what they want – be it the paint, the Malabar wood panel, or a particular type of leather trim.
Strategic market
Herfried Hasenoerl, Head of Business Development India, Rolls Royce Motor Cars, said “India was once a good testing ground for the cars' capability. And as it turns out now, we see this as one of the most strategic markets. It now has three dealerships; the biggest number after China. Even Japan has only two dealerships.”
The company introduced its third dealership in India at Hyderabad. The first one was set up in Mumbai followed by Delhi.
Vasanthi Bhupathi, Managing Director of Kun Motoren, described Rolls Royce Cars as the pinnacle of super luxury motoring and said they were committed to delivering impeccable service for these hand-built cars.
The company introduced its Ghost with extended wheel base at a base price of Rs 3.05 crore ex-showroom.