Rolls-Royce appoints authorised dealership in Bangkok
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Rolls-Royce has appointed an authorised dealership in Thailand and is planning to step into the Thai luxury-car market with its participation in the Bangkok International Motor Show this month.
Thailand’s luxury-car market is expected to remain stable at 10,000 units this year, and Rolls-Royce, long considered the world’s most luxurious car brand, wants to be a part of it.
Millionaire Auto (Thailand) Co is Thailand’s first authorised Rolls-Royce dealer.
Its first showroom will be opened on Rama III Road in the second half of this year.
The company is part of the Master Group Corporation (Asia), which is also involved in sales of BMW and Mini through authorised dealers such as Millennium Auto Co. In 2011 the group’s earnings exceeded Bt8.5 billion.
After an absence from the Thai market for several years, the re-entry of Rolls-Royce is part of the British marque’s plan to expand its presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
Rolls-Royce, which is owned by BMW AG, sold a record 3,538 cars last year, up 31 per cent from a year earlier.
The Asia-Pacific region has provided the highest growth for Rolls-Royce, with a 47-per cent surge in sales last year, while US sales grew by 17 per cent.
According to Paul Harris, Asia-Pacific director of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the company sells as many as one-third of its cars in the Asian region.
“Sales in China are slightly above the US,” he said.
Harris declined to reveal exact 2011 sales figures for the Chinese market, where it has 14 dealerships, or the sales target in Thailand for 2012, citing company policies.
Nevertheless, he said Thailand was a market that had potential and a rising number of interested customers thanks to the economic recovery.
He also noted that with an authorised dealer for Rolls-Royce being set up in Thailand, existing Rolls-Royce owners who previously purchased cars through “grey”, or unauthorised, importers can register their vehicles to be eligible for servicing.
However, the company is formulating its grey-market policy to encourage customers to purchase vehicles from the authorised dealer, Harris said. Meanwhile, in Thailand, the present Rolls-Royce population amounts to about 60 vehicles, according to Chatvithai Tantraporn, general manager of Millionaire Auto (Thailand).
“We are planning to offer Rolls-Royce owners in Thailand a super-luxury-car servicing experience,” he said.
According to Chatvithai, total investment for the project is above Bt100 million.
“The investment is several hundred million baht for the land and infrastructure as well as training of after-sales personnel for several models we intend to offer in this market,” he said.
The starting price for the cheapest Rolls-Royce is above Bt20 million.
Harris said that while most automobiles are assembled within a 24-hour period, a Rolls took much longer to build.
It takes about 20-25 days to assemble the Ghost model and 35-40 days to assemble the Phantom, but it could take as long as six months in certain cases because of the amount of detail requested by the customer, he added.
“For example, a customer may wish to have wood taken from his orchard, and we have to cater to that,” Harris said.
Rolls-Royce cars sold through the authorised dealer will come with a four-year/unlimited-kilometres service-inclusive warranty, as well as financing provided by BMW Leasing (Thailand) Co.
The 33rd Bangkok International Motor Show will run from March 28 to April 8 at Impact Muang Thong Thani.
