Rolls sold a total of 1212 cars worldwide last year but the brand expects to triple the figures by next year. How? you might ask. First of all, the upcoming Ghost is going to play a key role in Rolls' strategy, with this particular model expected to cause quite a stir when it will be launched in early 2010.
Rolls-Royce's director of sales and marketing, Graeme Grieve, says that the Ghost will attract lots of buyers worldwide, most of them new to the brand. Australian Rolls-Royce general manager Bevin Clayton projects annual sales of around 14 units even if the price has been increased to $1,075,000.
"A car like this is pocket change," Grieve said. "Most of our customers will have something on their wrist that's more expensive than this. The great advantage with us in our market is that no one has really gone anywhere, no one has lost their job. If you're worth $1.5 billion instead of $3 billion you still go out for a meal and you still buy a car."
But Rolls is not particularly afraid of competitors in the auto sector - and no, we're not talking about Geely who we're sure would like to be compared with Rolls - but of other luxury items manufacturers.
"There are so many competitors for RR that are not necessarily cars; a second car, a helicopter, replacing the yacht," says Rolls-Royce chief executive Tom Purves. "In our customers' minds those are all things that could prevail."
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