Word: bmw
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Toward the end of every calendar year, Ian Robertson puts his small arsenal of expensive fountain pens into overdrive. That's when Rolls-Royce Motor Cars sends a yearbook to customers who have purchased a Rolls since Jan. 1, 2003, when production began under the German automaker BMW. As head of Rolls-Royce, Robertson personally signs each book's accompanying cover letter. The bespoke touch is appreciated by the company's superrich clientele--which numbered 2,800 when Robertson performed the task last year. "With that many customers," he says, "I could just about...
...much--largely because of the newly introduced extended-wheelbase Phantom, which has a base price of $403,000, or $63,000 more than the standard version. Garel Rhys, emeritus professor of automotive economics at Cardiff Business School in Wales, applauds the company's performance since its acquisition by BMW: "You couldn't expect much better." In July, it rolled out the Drophead Coupe, a two-door convertible Phantom starting at $407,000. Overall, Robertson predicts, the firm should enjoy double-digit sales growth this year...
When Rolls--which also made aircraft engines--went bust in 1971, the auto and aerospace units became separate companies. After a variety of owners, BMW took over. It now builds the cars at a plant in Sussex, England, operating one line and one shift that turns out four or five hand-built cars a day. The 550 employees include craftsmen--skilled cabinet- and saddlemakers, for example. Most Rolls are made to order; on average, customers pay $20,000 to have their car customized. The company is adding a second line next year and a second shift in 2009 to handle...
...first Rolls, BMW opted to resurrect the Phantom--a big sedan limousine that all but begs to be chauffeur-driven. That meant targeting the very rich, whose legions are growing fast. Rolls wants to increase its market share while still remaining at the price pinnacle. Next year it's introducing a hardtop coupe version of the Phantom and launching a smaller, as-yet-unnamed sedan...
...BMW will certainly be happy to see Rolls generating profits, given the $1.2 billion Rhys estimates it put into the company. Rolls won't budge Beemer's bottom line, given the parent company's $65 billion in sales. But owning Rolls-Royce gives BMW prestige and bragging rights. It proves it can sell cars that sweep the breadth of the market, from budget to budget-busting. Should the world's economy sputter and car sales drop off a cliff, "Rolls-Royce would probably be the first thing to go," Rhys says. But for now, like that iconic spirit of ecstasy...