A Baby Rolls is Born! Soon. Ish.
U.K. car mag Autocar has published snaps of the new "baby" Rolls Royce, codenamed RR4. Autocar reckons "the new car will adopt the Phantom’s design language (reference the car’s thick C-pillar and suicide rear doors). However, it’s also significantly lower and shorter than a Phantom, has a shorter bonnet, and a much less upright grille, than its bigger sibling." Rolls-Royce sure needs something to get it out of the doldrums. Launched in 2003, BMW's $333,350 Phantom was a flop. After announcing a "ceiling" of 10k units, Rolls sold just 3703 units in four years. Meanwhile, the VW Phaeton-based Bentley Continental GT and Flying Spur are still da bomb. Bentley sold 10,014 units last year (3990 units in NA alone). RR4 aims to put Roller back in the game, albeit eventually, and above Bentley. The baby Roller will arrive in showrooms "at the end of the decade" and sticker for around £175,000 ($347,456). Where that leaves the Phantom is anyone's guess.
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How does it make any business sense to position the smaller, less regal model above the Phantom in price? Does anyone see the problem with that? BMW doesn't sell many 328i sedans for more than the 750i, do they? Why would this arrangement work at Rolls? Stupid move. They deserve any negativity that's coming to them.
Hardly a flop. I'd describe the Maybach as a flop. Selling 3700 ultraluxury cars is astonishing.