SINGAPORE — Phantoms, ghosts and now wraiths are stalking the streets of Asia and Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes, the chief executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, could not be more pleased.
Reuters
The top-end carmaker, a unit of Germany’s BMW AG, still sees untapped potential in China — its No. 2 market after the United States — but hot spots in Asia include Japan, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, Mueller-Oetvoes said.
Rolls-Royce is opening its first showroom in Manila “because we see quite good potential in this market, particularly when you look at the projections of ultra-high net worth individuals” in the Philippines, he told Reuters in Singapore.
“Japan is flying currently, very much due to Abenomics,” he said. “We have seen many customers coming back into showrooms and coming back to us and asking for a new car.”
High luxury is the hallmark. Except for the chassis, every Rolls-Royce is built by hand at the Goodwood plant in the scenic Sussex Downs region of southeast England.
Interiors of polished wood, fine leather and plush carpeting are standard, along with a Teflon-coated umbrella that pops out of the door frame. Bespoke versions are available, at a price.
“No request is considered too extravagant or unreasonable,” a brochure says. “On one occasion, we even furnished an interior with veneer from a tree felled on the customer’s estate.”
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Mueller-Oetvoes, a BMW marketing executive who became the boss of Rolls-Royce in 2010, was “cautiously optimistic” about this year, repeating forecasts that global sales will beat last year’s record of 3575 cars and top the 4000 mark next year.
Part of that optimism is due to the Wraith, a two-door coupe version of the Ghost model introduced this year as the most powerful Rolls-Royce with its twin-turbo, 6,6-litre V12 engine. About 40% of orders for the Wraith, priced between the flagship Phantom and the “budget” Ghost, are coming from Asia.
“We are basically sold out until May next year,” Mueller-Oetvoes said. “What is more pleasing is that we have seen lots of customers coming to us who never owned a Rolls-Royce before.”
