The Indian auto market is currently in a bad shape due to the dipping demands, ever decreasing sales and the financial crisis. However, the market for high end luxury cars remains to be unaffected by the slump. Herfried Hasenoehrl, General Manager for Emerging Markets in Asia at Rolls Royce, spoke in a recent interview about the prospect of the Rolls Royce Wraith doing well in India. According to him, the market for a brand like Rolls Royce is seldom going to get affected by something like a financial crisis. He believes that buyers of a Rolls Royce car are likely to be undeterred by any kind of adverse market situation.
Hasenoehrl, on being enquired about the slowdown and its potential impact on the demand for luxury cars, said that Rolls Royce is at the absolute top of luxury car segment. Automatically, the people who purchase a Rolls Royce car are at the top in their respective professions or industries with some of them being successful entrepreneurs. Adding further, he said that this is not the first time the Indian car market has witnessed any sort of slowdown or crisis. Previously, the market experienced tough times during 80s, 90s and most recently, the year 2008-09. Hasenoehrl believes that India will, like always, fight the crisis and overcome all odds to attain a position of stability.
Rolls Royce has been in the news during August due to launch of the much-awaited two-door car, Wraith. Earlier, the firm had tasted success as the previous model Ghost, according to some sources, managed to sell over a 100 units of the same. Hasenoehrl, however, said that the firm did not disclose any statistics, saying that years 2011 and 2012 were good. According to him, the segment Rolls Royce falls in is incomparable to any other. The company has recently launched the Wraith, which it claims to be the fastest Rolls Royce ever made. Sources say that the firm expects the Wraith to perform well given the kind of overwhelming response it has received up to now.
