Rolls-Royce, the iconic luxury automobiles British brand, was established in 1906 by Henry Royce and Charles Rolls. The firm was also involved into making engines for aeroplanes till it split into two different divisions in 1973. It purchased its arch rival, Bentley, in 1931 and both of them worked together till they were taken over by Volkswagen. As of now, it operates as a subsidiary of the German auto maker BMW.
This brand is currently working on its Indian edition which would most probably come in India in 2014. A company official told that an interesting project for India is on the cards, which would take some time to come in the market. It is working on a design that caters especially to its Indian customers. The company is currently taking feedback from its existing Indian customers so as to bring out the perfect customised product for the domestic market. The company hasn't yet confirmed about the model that would get the Indian touch, stating it could be Phantom, Ghost or Wraith. This announcement was made on the recent showcasing of the company's recent model, Wraith, by Herfried Hasenoehrl, General Manager of emerging markets (Asia), Rolls Royce Motor Cars at Chennai.
Herfried is on a three month long India tour to promote the firm's latest model, Wraith, in the domestic market. As per him, India happens to be the largest market for the firm in its Asia Pacific region. They have come up with more dealerships to to revolutionise the sale of Rolls-Royce models in India. When asked if the assembling of the car would be done in India, he said it wouldn't be the case in the recent future. They have levied an import duty of 174 per cent on the original price of the car. He added that the company had no competition with any other luxury car makers in India. According to sources, the company will be taking its dealership tally in India to 5 by the end of 2013. Notably, when the dealership of Rolls-Royce opens in Chandigarh, India will become the country with the most number of dealers from the firm in the Asia Pacific region. It is being said that Rolls-Royce will also be looking to venture into smaller cities in the country. Commenting on the same, Hasenoehrl, said, “We want to be close to the customer. Tier 2 and 3 cities provide a massive opportunity as there is higher potential of tapping high net worth individuals who own successful businesses.”
