Not long ago, the must-have accessories for the man about town were a bespoke three-piece suit from Savile Row, membership of a leading gentlemen’s club and a Rolls-Royce. Nowadays, Britain’s industry generals are more likely to be seen in an off-the-peg two-piece, in a gym and in a Prius.
But, as with hand tailoring and private clubs, the Rolls is fighting back. With the new 200EX ‘baby Rolls’, Rolls-Royce is making a fresh attempt to persuade top-end working men to stop pretending to be green (Prius) or sporty and athletic (flagship big-alloy-wheeled BMW or Audi) and, once again, put comfort and status first.
At a likely £180,000 when sales start next spring, the 200EX — the production name is still secret — handily undercuts the Phantom saloon. It’s shorter and lower and looks like a (relatively) normal car rather than a mobile Parthenon. According to Rolls CEO Tom Purves, it’s a Rolls “that you can comfortably leave on a parking meter”. The expectation is that it will triple Rolls-Royce global sales, to 3,000 cars a year.
While only rappers, Hollywood elite and Sir Alan Sugar have the self-confidence to fill a Phantom, most successful businessmen should feel at ease in the back of the 200EX — accessed by lovely rear-hinged ‘coach’ doors, just as on the Phantom. They may even fancy a steer. The 200EX is a “more dynamic” Rolls aimed at the DIY driver rather than the chauffeur-driven milord.
BMW bought Rolls-Royce from Vickers in 1998. Since then, the Germans have done a great job of looking after Britain’s most famous car brand.
The first BMW-produced Rolls, the Phantom, probably is the best car in the world. Follow-up coupé and ‘drophead’ convertible versions are similarly eyecatching, technically avant-garde and successful. Sales have been ahead of forecast, and many times higher than Mercedes- Benz’s rival attempt to muscle into the upper-class car segment with its slow-selling Maybach.
Even in credit-crunched 2008, Rolls boomed. It was the one of the few premium makers to register a sizeable growth: global sales were up 20 per cent.
“We have certainly been less affected by the recession than many,” says Purves. “Up until the collapse of Lehman Brothers we were absolutely flying. Since then, some customers have delayed their purchases. They may think that now is not the right time to spend £260,000 or more on a car.”
But while the Phantom sails in mostly sheltered waters thanks to its zillionaire client base, the 200EX will cruise in stormy credit- crunched seas. Purves admits that the business environment for 200EX will be “challenging”. “But when times are tough, the company with new product does best,” he says confidently.
The biggest markets will be the US and Western Europe. China and other Asian economies, where the Phantom’s popularity has recently boomed, will not be so keen. “These aspire to buy the finest, and the Phantom’s scale suits them,” says Purves. Which is shorthand for saying that there are no hang-ups with ostentation in the East. Bling is big in Beijing.
Gavin Green is a motoring journalist and consultant
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