Indian Car Blog - Carazoo.com

Get a load of this. Rolls Royce has taken 60 orders in November-December 2009 for its newly launched Rolls Royce Ghost in India. How cools is that? India is finally back to its old ways in the global business of buying Rolls Royce cars, punching above its weight. This fact certainly is a nostalgic-feel for the RR marquee.

India is back in track from where it started for RR market. The new breed of Indian business tycoons are following in the footsteps of the pre-war maharajahs in their quest for luxury cars, snapping up the new $600,000 Rolls-Royce Ghost at the fastest rate in the world. The first Ghost will be delivered to a Chennai based realtor next month.

Rolls-Royce, the iconic British carmaker now owned by BMW, is hoping for big things from the Ghost, a “baby” 2.4-tonne luxury sedan that is about 40 per cent cheaper than the company’s flagship Phantom range.

Rolls Royce’s global sales dropped southwards with just 1000 RR Phantoms being sold in 2009 when compared to 1212 in 2008 thanks to the Global recession. But RR is quite optimistic this year and targets selling 2500 units of Phantom and Ghosts this year. The Ghost, was unveiled at the September 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show as the new entry level Roller.

Though Abu Dhabi and Dubai were the top sales outlets for Rolls Royce in 2008, thanks to the global financial crisis, the Middle-East luxury car sales is now cooling off and the new markets for the RR is emerging from the Asia-Pacific particularly from countries like China and India. RR expects to sell over 400 units with China accounting for half of the sales while India, Japan and Australia raking the rest of RR units.

RR though is targeting the global market for its sales, Indian car market will always remain special to the Rolls Royce as the saga of RR in India dates back to 1907 when Maharaja of Gwalior, Madho Rao Scindia , imported the first example of the car to India , just three years after Rolls-Royce was formed.

India, pre-independence though predominantly a British Raj, was a royal mass of land with over 500 princely states in it. Most the maharajas and Royals of these princely states were avid buyers of the brand, customizing them to suit Indian conditions. The Nizam of Hyderabad, for example, had a fleet of 50 Rollers, while the Maharajah of Patiala had 44 in his collection.
But with the coming of Indian independence in 1947, royals and Maharajas were forced to abandon their ostentatious lifestyles and lead a life of austerity for many decades to come. Their Rolls-Royces were garaged or sold to private collectors, such as the industrialist Pranlal Bhogilal, who has a collection of 200-plus vintage cars on his estate near Ahmedabad.

Further financial privation for the royals came in 1971 when then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi abolished the Privy Purse system of payments to them. By this time Rolls Royce had withdrawn from the Indian market and it was not until 2005 that it returned, appointing Navnit Motors in Mumbai as first authorized RR dealer in almost 50 years. Navnit subsequently opened a showroom in Mumbai’s Atria Mall in May 2006, and this was followed by a second Rolls-Royce dealership in India in September 2008, when Select Cars opened a showroom in New Delhi.

Going by the reports of the latest world wealth published by consulting firms Capgemini and Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, India had 84,000 US-dollar millionaires at the start of last year, down more than 30 per cent from an estimated 123,000 at the start of 2008, when share markets were at their peak. Of the 84,000, about 1000 Indians are in the “ultra” high net worth category, with assets above US$30 million, while between 50 and 100 are billionaires. India has already become a land of modern new age Maharajas.

While high net worth individual numbers may have receded a little from early 2008, the return of strong economic growth in the second half of 2009 in both India and China points to strong sales ahead for sellers of luxury goods. China’s GDP growth in 2010 is likely to be around 9 to 9.5 per cent, while India should reach 7.5 per cent. That compares with just a 2.2 per cent outlook for the US and 3.5 per cent for the world overall.

This is what makes India a fertile hunting ground for Rolls-Royce and other luxury car purveyors such as Bentley, which is owned by BMW’s rival German maker Volkswagen. Maybach, the Mercedes-Benz luxury model, rounds out the trio of brands at the top catering to the “chairman” segment, where customization is the name of the game. Family crests, cocktail cabinets, special carpet trim and unique colour combinations are among the personal touches most often requested.

In addition to the “chairman” luxury-car segment, there is also strong Indian demand for sports-style “supercars,” where names like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche dominate the market.

Source: The Australian

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Here we are referring to the Rolls Royce Ghost. Today, the Ghost is being revealed to the Indian car lovers in the capital city.

The Rolls Royce Ghost was announced in the 2006 Paris Motor Show and was revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September this year. Earlier, the car was hinted as RR4, which increased anticipation and last year, the company released sketches of the car, which showed that it had some changes from the conventional Rolls Royce cars.

The Ghost has a centre opening door configuration, with hand crafted interiors and grill. Moreover, the car is slightly smaller in dimensions compared to other Roll Royce cars, yet it is more powerful and it is the most technologically advanced car from Rolls Royce stable. The top-end model of the Ghost will come for a whopping Rs 2.5 Crore where as the Phantom comes for Rs. 4.45 Crore.

The super luxury sedan comes with a 6.6 L twin-turbo V12 engine. The whisper-quiet engine aptly suits the name ‘Ghost’ of this Rolls Royce luxury sedan.

In India, Rolls Royce has focused on the chauffeur-driven segment of the population and hopes to sell 50 cars in the country. The company historically has had a big market in the nation, as its cars were the preferred mode of transportation for the royal families in the pre-Independence time.

However, post-independence, this market has lessened considerably. Last year, the British car maker sold only about 14 cars here. Apart from this, the fact that the company does not believe in routine marketing and advertising activities, may further hamper its chances as compared to other luxury car brands that have made a niche for themselves in the country.

The first delivery of the Ghost in the country is expected to happen in quarter one of the next year.

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Yes, the Rolls-Royce Phantom is on the way to get an electric version.

Why not? The latest fad is either to have a blue or green heart. And the luxury car maker has decided bring in the Phantom sedan in a new incarnation with a blue heart.
Besides, the torque curve of an electric motor suits the Rolls-Royce mission perfectly, as would the distinct lack of noise, vibration and harshness. Sounds like a match made in heaven!

If you are thinking about sourcing a suitable large battery for the three-tonne Phanton, we would like to barge in your thoughts and say that it shouldn’t be a problem. With electric motors and lithium-ion batteries being available almost off the shelf, the Phantom can get hold of them from its parent company BMW.

This luxury car behemoth has showcased its Electric Vehicles (EVs), the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept, Active Hybrid X6 and Active Hybrid 7-Series at the ongoing Frankfurt Motor Show. The Phantom EV could cost much less than a normal Rolls Royce Phantom.

Currently, the Phantom is powered by a 6.75L V12 453 bhp engine and costs around half-a-million dollars. The Phantom is the Rolls-Royce’s replacement for the original Silver Ghost.

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Ghost will haunt you day and night as it has already been launched! There is nothing supernatural about it; it is about the Rolls Royce Ghost that we are speaking about here as the it has been officially launched at the ongoing Frankfurt Motor Show.

The Ghost is a production model from Rolls Royce, which has a much informal presence than the Rolls Royce Phantom.

It is really a triumphant task to more explain about the Rolls Royce Ghost which is designed to perfection and will be subject to awe and inspiration with its prevailing, focused proportions. And it seems to surely make the whole Rolls Royce folks really proud of their creation.

The Ghost will be available in a latest, 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12 that produces 563 horsepower and 780Nm of torque and has an eight-speed shift-by-wire automatic transmission from ZF. And it will pick up the pace from zero to 100km/h in just 4.7 seconds and strike an electronically governed top speed of 248 kilometre in an hour.

The Rolls Royce Ghost rides on double-wishbone (front) and multi-link (rear) suspension and it works with an intellectual air-suspension system and electronic variable damping.

The interior of the Ghost is a perfect blend of the premium features and materials. It has the finest and highly expensive wood, leather, and other materials used for style and comfort. The interior is also fitted with the latest, entertainment and navigation electronics that is available in the car market, making this proud machine a truly supreme car.

India is now among the most promising luxury car market, and the Indian car buyers need not feel miserable, though in limited numbers, the Ghost will also be coming to the Indian car market in 2010. As the company has not mentioned about how much will it be priced in the India, there are plenty of speculations about its price.

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We had just a couple of days earlier covered on the 1935 Rolls Royce Phantom II 40/50 HP Continental “All-Weather Convertible also called as the ‘Star of India’ that was to be auctioned for 10,000,000 euros. But even before that piece of info settled down, another Indian-Maharaja owned Rolls Royce Phantom has kicked the dust.

We are talking about the 1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom 1 ‘Jarvis Torpedo which RM Auctions were displaying as a prelude to their ‘Automobiles of London’ Auction to be held in October.

This classic beauty bearing the chassis number of 17EX, was originally one of three experimental chassis produced by Rolls Royce during 1928 and was sold to Maharaja Hari Singh Bahadur, the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir. The Maharaja owned the car until 1932 and the car remained in India until 1976 before it was shipped to Europe.

This beautifully restored 1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I ‘Jarvis Torpedo sure has a glorious and royal past attached to it.

This car has been the toast of the classic car collectors and was showcased in many occasions including the famous 1996 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, where it was awarded the Trofeo Rolls-Royce award for the most elegant Rolls-Royce. The car was again displayed in Pebble Beach in 2004 during the 100th anniversary celebrations of the marque.

RM Auctions would also be auctioning the 1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Boattail Skiff, one of the most instantaneously recognizable of all Rolls Royce cars and a 1950 Aston Martin DB2 Team Car ‘VMF 64 that has a legendary race history including the Le Mans and Mille Miglia provenance in the Battersea auction and London auction respectively.

The auction will be conducted by the RM Auctions on 28th October and we are pretty sure that this time the hammer banging the table will produce interesting and astronomical figures so that we can write more on that in our next upcoming blogs. Just watch this space.

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This car that you see above is the 1935 Rolls Royce Phantom II 40/50 HP Continental “All-Weather Convertible” which was custom made for the erstwhile Maharaja of Rajkot. This is a car which is also known as the “Star of India” amongst the Rolls Royce aficionados.

This Rolls Royce will soon be auctioned for an asking price of 10,000,000 Euros. While you keep counting those zeroes suffixing the numeral One and breaking your head hard to convert it into Indian Rupees we will quickly brief you about this Phantom, er, Car.

This car is one of special cars in the vast private collection of cars belonging to Hans-Günther Zach. Zach has a private museum in Mühlheim, Germany which houses around 27 cars (24 Rolls-Royces and 3 Bentleys) many of which belong to the pre-war period. Mind you, Zach is one crazy Rolls-Royce buff and yes of course it shows.

But now, probably recession has really hit everybody real hard as that shows too because Zach is planning to sell the entire private collection of cars and it is the “Star of India” which will be auctioned for this astronomical sum. If sold at the auctioned price, this Rolls Royce will be the costliest car ever sold in the face of earth.

The body of this Rolls, as we have earlier mentioned was custom built by Thrupp & Maberly and is painted in saffron ochre finish and aluminium. This 7.7-liter pushrod straight-six is a seven-seater with the interiors also decked up in saffron, a colour regarded as auspicious in India and carries a whopping fourteen headlights, which gives the car a superior appearance.

To top it all, this car has on it an inscription which reads “An impartial ruler of men of all faiths.”

Now for the real puzzle, If Zach, being aware of the economic slowdown, still puts a huge price for his Star, then he should be equally confident that he will get a buyer for his precious procession. But, who could be the buyer, who is least affected by the economic meltdown.

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Don’t panic! We are talking about the Rolls Royce Ghost which is India bound. The upcoming luxury car also called the Baby Rolls Royce will be inaugurated in India by the end of 2009, a year marked by the maximum car launches in India till date.

Rolls Royce Motor Cars has recently announced the details of its luxury car, The Rolls Royce Ghost. The car will be powered by a brand new 6.6 litre turbo charged V12 engine which unique to the Rolls-Royce. The V12 engine will be mated to an 8-speed automatic ZF gearbox. This engine will produce 563 bhp and can accelerate to 100 km in 5 seconds. The Ghost can cover 249.45 km/h.

The Rolls-Royce Ghost will come with an intelligent four corner air suspension system that uses multi link aluminum front and rear axles. The fully integrated system allows each of the Ghost’s dynamic handling systems to work together in harmony, providing the optimum levels of refinement and comfort at all times.

Noise from engine, exhaust and even tyre has been engineered to be inaudible as far as possible, both internally and externally. The car will have significant levels of low down torque which makes driving experience comparable to the legendary “Magic Carpet” ride.
The Ghost will come with all the exclusive Rolls Royce features. This car termed as “Rolls you can drive everyday” will share paint, wood and leather workshops with the Phantom series of cars.

The luxury car is likely to get a price sticker between Rs 1.2 crore to Rs 1.4 crore. Rolls Royce currently sells the Phantom, the Phantom Coupe, and the Phantom Drophead Coupe in India.

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The ultimate name in luxury, the Rolls Royce will be launching its smallest offering, Ghost, in India by the end of this year. It is also called the Baby Rolls Royce and is perfect for an everyday drive to office and back.

The Rolls Royce Ghost will be globally launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show scheduled to be held in September 2009. It will be brought to India in November or December. The Ghost will be priced around U.S. $ 250,000 and U.S. $ 270,000 (Rs 1.2 crore to Rs 1.4 crore). It will come with all the exclusive features a typical Rolls Royce will have.

Currently, the Indian car market has around 40 Rolls Royce cars of which 14 of them were brought last year. Interestingly, Indians were busy buying Rolls Royce when the world was going through an economic slowdown. Rolls Royce in India sells three models already- Phantom, Phantom Coupe, and Phantom Drophead Coupe.

With the inclusion of the Ghost in the Rolls Royce portfolio, Indian luxury car buyers’ will be spoilt for choice. The Rolls Royce Ghost is expected to be a Moolah-Churner for the Indian operations of Rolls Royce.

The Indian luxury car market is very small compared to China, its nearest rival. It is said that Indian market is only one eighth of the Chinese market. However, Rolls Royce believes that India has a lot of potential as it is an emerging market.

It believes that there are at least 1,000 customers yet to tapped. This is where the Rolls Royce Ghost is targeted.

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