feature interview
of Cadbury’s) the purchase was announced. Müller-Ötvös stresses how the Britishness of these cars nevertheless remains – some 80 per cent of employees are Brits, all the craftsmen are Brits, the chief designer, Ian Cameron, is a Brit, the cars are made here – and is a great selling point, especially overseas. But he also gently points out that the reputation for excellence Rolls-Royce once justly commanded had been fading fast, with the brand “stunning in the earlier years of its history but losing its way during the 80s and 90s.” BMW, he says, risking opprobrium from the overly patriotic, re-awakened “engineering competence, manufacturing competence and the latest in manufacturing technology to get the quality that Rolls-Royce customers expect and what we have to deliver.” Another further benefit has been the CEO’s enthusiasm for spotting unexploited markets, however incongruous they may seem on first consideration. How about, for example, a less stately, more affordable Rolls-Royce? That may not fit with the Rolls-Royce story as it is popularly conceived, but Müller-Ötvös has made it work. In addition to the Phantom, he has added the Ghost, a car that is a celebration of Rolls-Royce history but one as much symbolic of the times as the new EE; the Ghost marks this year as the centenary of the spirit of ecstasy, Rolls-Royce’s flying lady mascot – said to be modelled on automobile pioneer John Walter, Lord Montagu’s secretary and lover. “The Ghost hasn’t been about taking business away from other car brands. To be honest, a lot of our customers already have several cars in their garage from several different companies,” says Müller-Ötvös. “It is a reflection of a change of philosophy for the company: it’s less ostentatious and I think that will be a key part of what Rolls-Royce is about in the future. The Phantom, of course, is a statement. It’s often chauffeur-driven, for example. But we also recognise with the Ghost that there is a need for more of a driver’s car, a more everyday car, something more subtle.” Recognition of the need for the company to broaden its remit has certainly proven successful. Last year saw Rolls-Royce report a record year-on-year sales growth of 171 per cent with sales of 2,711 cars, more than double the previous record set in 2008. This success is largely attributed to the Ghost, which has brought new customers to the brand. Indeed, some 80 per cent of Ghost customers have, atypically for the company, never owned a Rolls-Royce before. Not that the brand is in any way going mass-market: at £165,000, and upwards, the Ghost may be Rolls-Royce’s more affordable car, but Müller-Ötvös sees no future in one any cheaper than that. “The economy is getting better and people are getting
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more confident and coming back to buy luxury products again, but you can’t move established brands too dramatically or too fast, especially one as old as RollsRoyce, with its heritage and tradition. It has to be step by step,” he says. “There’s been talk of launching a more affordable car but I don’t think that would be right – our intention is to be very, very highly exclusive. And there’s still no one around the world selling more cars in that segment than Rolls-Royce. You wouldn’t want to see a Rolls-Royce on the corner of every street. We’d lose that exclusivity overnight.” Buying a Rolls-Royce, for the few who can afford one, is about more than exclusivity. As the luxury goods market continues to crack along its middle – dividing the highprofile and widely distributed brands from those more niche and barely known beyond the long driveways of élite luxury consumers – what has buoyed it up through the recession has been an increased interest in quality over mere brand flash, in purchases of good sense rather than status. And that, Müller-Ötvös stresses, is where Rolls-Royce can really stake a claim. Rolls-Royce may well be world famous but “these cars are also an investment,” he points out. “In the end, it’s all about build quality – and we make a point of inviting anyone thinking about buying a Rolls-Royce to come to the factory at Goodwood to see how we manufacture cars, and lots do. When you see the precision put into the engineering and into all the detail, from the leather to the wood, you come away knowing why the cars are at the price level they are.” n www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com