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ReprintsRolls-Royce expects small car to double annual output
Diana T. Kurylko
Automotive News
March 12, 2007 - 12:01 am ET
GENEVA -- Rolls-Royce expects to double annual production to 1,600 cars after adding a smaller car to its lineup in 2010. The car's design was approved last month, said Ian Robertson, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, at the auto show here. It will be slotted under the Phantom and priced between 200,000 and 300,000 euros (about $263,000 and $394,000 at current exchange rates). "We can broaden our footprint, but not too far," Robertson said. "We can ensure our vehicle brand status and not compete with the volume brands." Robertson would not give details about the design but said the car is "unmistakably a Rolls-Royce." Rolls' factory in Goodwood, England, will add a second shift for the car. That will push annual output from today's 800 vehicles to 1,600 units a year. Meanwhile, Robertson said the Phantom Drophead Coupe convertible that debuted at the Detroit auto show is sold out through 2008. The Drophead will arrive in the United States in August and is expected to account for 15 percent of sales. Last year, Rolls-Royce sold 340 cars in the United States and 805 worldwide. Robertson would not forecast 2007 sales but said he's confident "we will see growth." You may e-mail Diana T. Kurylko at dkurylko@crain.com |
You can reach Diana T. Kurylko at dkurylko@crain.com.
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