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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Reading this rosy article from Time last month, you wouldn’t think there’s a problem.
I think the problem is with the design language itself. Bentely’s offerings have often been, dare I say it, “hip and new”. Very young, sporty, the new money so to speak. Rolls have always seem stuffy to me. I wouldn’t mind either, mind you, but if I had to choose, I would take a Continental GT or Flying Spur over the Phantom. Of course, I would take one of those Arnage T24s above all.
How do you say “Cimarron” in German?
In my work, I must occasionally visit Palm Beach FL. Down there where beach-front houses cost upwards of $10 Million, you can see a lot of exotic cars that you will not see here in Ohio.
I have seen the BMW Roller, and I am here to tell you that it is one ugly beast. Not beaten with an ugly stick like its corporate sister the 7 or that 6CUV abomination that appeared at NADA. But it is very badly proportioned.
However, even if it were well proportioned, not many would be sold. It is enormous, 230 in long (240 for the extended model), and from articles I read when it was released, it is really meant to be chauffeur driven. By way of contrast the Bentley is 20 in shorter and the Merc S and BMW 7 are more than 2 feet shorter.
A smaller sedan that could be driven would seem to be in order.
The Phantom looks like the car a cartoon villain would drive to the ‘old warehouse district’ in. That is not a good thing.
RRs haven’t been sleek cars for about half a century, I get that, but having a front end as square and as large as a garden shed is taking it to an extreme.
I agree with NickR that the Phantom looks like something that one of the Pruneface or some other Dick Tracey villain would drive.
The Phantom doesn’t really compete with the Bentley Continental GT and Flying Spur. It’s direct competition is the Bentley Arnage/Azure/Brooklands and the Maybach.
As far as I know Bentley (Volkswagen) is really cleaning up in the ultra-luxury market. They’re delivering a one-two punch with the conservatively-styled Arnage/Azure/Brooklands selling to the “old money” crowd and the Continental GT and Flying Spur selling to the “noveau riche.”
Looks a lot like a Chyrsler 300.
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.
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.
Hardly a flop. I’d describe the Maybach as a flop. Selling 3700 ultraluxury cars is astonishing.
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…