A Baby Rolls is Born! Soon. Ish.

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago

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.

Robert Farago
Robert Farago

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  • L47_V8 L47_V8 on Jan 30, 2008

    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.

  • Johnster Johnster on Jan 30, 2008
    L47_V8: 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? Stupid move. They deserve any negativity that’s coming to them. A long time ago it worked with the Cadillac Seville being priced higher than the larger DeVille and Fleetwood models. Lincoln tried to copy the model by pricing their Continental higher than the larger Town Car, but it never worked as well for them. And that's about it.
  • Nicodemus Nicodemus on Jan 31, 2008

    Hardly a flop. I'd describe the Maybach as a flop. Selling 3700 ultraluxury cars is astonishing.

  • Robert Farago Robert Farago on Jan 31, 2008
    Nicodemus : Hardly a flop. I’d describe the Maybach as a flop. Selling 3700 ultraluxury cars is astonishing. In four years. Often at a discount. The Phantom never even came close to doing the biz that BMW wanted/predicted. If their business plan was based on those early predictions...
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