The Hindu Business Line : Buying a Phantom is likened to commissioning a piece of art

The highly successful debut of the Phantom makes us very confident about a bright future for our business in India. We believe that we are well positioned to participate in India's amazing economic growth.

MR IAN ROBERTSON, CEO and Chairman, Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has had a busy five years since the BMW Group took charge. A new plant was set up and the new Rolls-Royce Phantom saloon has set a fresh benchmark in the super luxury segment.

After taking over as the Chairman and CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in February 2005, Mr Ian Robertson drove the Rolls-Royce brand back to India, marking a re-entry after nearly 50 years. Mr Robertson shared the company's plans for India with Business Line.

Excerpts from the interview:

What are your expectations from the Indian market?

The highly successful debut of the Phantom makes us very confident about a bright future for our business in India. With a brand-new showroom to be opened shortly in Mumbai, we believe that we are very well positioned to participate in India's amazing economic growth.

How do you view India now as Rolls-Royce makes a comeback after five decades?

With the launch of the Rolls-Royce Phantom we have experienced a very warm welcome in India and there were headlines like "Rolls-Royce returns after 50 years" in the media. So, although today's business environment in India is totally different, there seem to be many fond memories of the special motorcars which Rolls-Royce delivered in the 1920s and the 1930s, some of which featured the most elaborate and flamboyant coachwork anywhere in the world. We believe that people in India today feel ever more confident in their own success and thus they also feel comfortable with their choice of motorcar, even when it has as much presence as a Rolls-Royce Phantom.

As most Roll-Royce's potential buyers come from the business community, unlike in pre-independence India, do you think the Phantom will be the best fit for such a customer profile?

Rolls-Royce has always produced modern cars, using the very best technology available. From the early days of the company, the desire was to produce a vehicle that pushed the boundaries of automotive technology and greatly improved on what other manufacturers were doing. It is easy to look back at many of the fine vintage Rolls-Royce cars that are still on the road today and think of them as just that — vintage — forgetting that in their day they were at the cutting edge.

In many ways, the modern Phantom has gone back to the routes of the brand. By concentrating on the engineering detail of the car, we produce a product that is extremely refined and luxurious but also tremendous in performance and solidity. These are the qualities that have compelled buyers for more than 100 years to own a Rolls-Royce .

Are there any unique preferences that customers in this region have?

We refer to the unique features specified by customers as `Bespoke', and the process is more like commissioning a piece of art rather than ordering car.

Around 70 per cent of all Phantoms last year had some Bespoke content. This ranges from unique exterior colours to hand stitched monograms on the leather interiors. For example, the first Phantom that we delivered in India had Bespoke paint finishes, leather and wood veneers and included specially made tread plates.

Increasingly it involves integrating additional audiovisual or computer equipment into the interior. Generally, no one market asks for more of a particular type of feature. Indian companies had been suppliers to Rolls-Royceduring the pre-Independence era. Do you foresee sourcing materials from Indian vendors?

Rolls-Royce is a global company and we use many suppliers from around the world. We are driven by the search for the very best materials regardless of geographic location. There is always the possibility that we will use materials sourced from India in the future.

What will be the buying experience for someone contemplating the new Phantom?

Many customers liken buying a Phantom to commissioning a piece of art, and we try to make it as personal a service as we can. Our dealers around the world are tremendously experienced in what they do and many have long standing relationships, established over the years. Our head office and manufacturing plant are designed with customers in mind, as many come to Goodwood to talk to us about their car, see it during the build process or pick it up when it is finished.

It is even possible for customers to talk directly to members of the design team about Bespoke colours or trim — this is something that is unheard of with other car manufacturers. Ultimately, it is about providing a service that fits the individual customer, something that is tailored to his needs, just like his car.

How do you view the prospects in Asia? We believe that Asia has significant growth potential over the coming years. We are already performing strongly in Japan and China and our launch in India last year was a great success.

We see continuing opportunities in the sub-continent. Singapore, Korea and Indonesia are also important markets for us, with dealers/representatives in each.