Daimler’s Maybach has been a huge flop while Bentley has been successfully raking in customers with its Continental range. But one brand that sticks out in the ultra-luxury class is Rolls-Royce. With sales of 1,010 last year and cars priced around $350,000 a unit, Rolls-Royce deserves special recognition.
However, with the credit crunch and current economic situation it’s hard to say whether or not Rolls-Royce will continue to be a success. Nonetheless, the BMW Group brand is working to hold onto its buyers, at the same time trying to attract new ones with smaller and less expensive models.
In 2010, Rolls-Royce will bring to the market its RR4, a smaller Rolls-Royce with ‘a more informal presence’ than big-daddy Phantom. There will be a bigger emphasize on driving dynamics with power coming from either a 6.0 V12 or the BMW X6′s xDrivea50i’s twin-turbo V8. Pricing will be around or below $250,000 with annual sales targeted at 1,800 units.
The already sold-out Phantom Coupe will be arriving in the U.S. this fall. Rolls-Royce has not yet said how many Phantom Coupes it will produce in 2009.
Rolls-Royce RR4 Design Sketches:
Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)
