Luxury cars: India's wealthy splurging on personalising wheels of fortune

“You don’t just buy a Rolls-Royce, you commission it.” This tagline on the British marque’s website aptly sums up the level of indulgence when one refers to bespoke cars.
 

While the Goodwood-based manufacturer has traditionally been known for its custom-made services, other super-luxury auto brands (priced upwards of Rs 2 crore), too, are in the game now in a big way.
 

Fuelling the trend for personalised uber-luxury cars are a few factors: A prolonged waiting period for these models due to the Covid-19-induced supply chain disruptions; the YOLO — you only live once — effect; and the fact that many of the country’s high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals have only become richer during the pandemic years.
 

According to the IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2022, there are 1,103 Indians with a net worth of Rs 1,000 crore each — an increase of 62 per cent over five years. And while there are 221 billionaires (Rs 100 crore net worth), down by 16 from last year, 13 people born in the 1990s have also entered the list — all of them self-made.
 

The minimum waiting period for owning a prized set of wheels has stretched to 18 months, and buyers are loosening their purse strings further to get these rides customised to reflect their personality and lifestyle. The degree of personalisation is such that it can go up to over 90 per cent for some brands, with people forking out another 10-25 per cent for that signature car.
 

“When a customer buys into this segment in India, they choose the very best. They look at what’s the best the brand has to offer — which is very different from the consumer behaviour elsewhere,” says Paul Harris, managing director, Asia-Pacific and China, McLaren Automotive.

 

Last month, McLaren opened its first showroom in India, making an official entry into the country’s 250 units per annum super-luxury car market. McLaren Mumbai unveiled the new 765LT Spider — the only 765LT ever made.
 

“The wait list (for luxury cars) has become long, so the buyer feels, ‘If I have to wait this long, I might as well spec the car according to my taste’,” says Lalit Choudary, chairman and managing director, Infiniti Cars, a retailer of several uber-luxury brands.
 

In the mass car segment, it’s all about having an inventory and retailing every month, but here it works differently since it’s all about customisation, says Choudary. “We may believe it’s a great car (as is), but the customer may not want that,” he adds.
 

McLaren, the brand that recently got added to the portfolio that Choudary manages, is known for its personalisation. The cars are designed at the McLaren Technology Centre and are hand-built at the McLaren Production Centre in Woking, Surrey, south of London.
 

For some, the choice of the stitch patterns on the upholstery holds significance. For others, it’s getting the family insignia embossed that matters. And for some others, it’s a particular colour or shade — often not part of the standard colour palette.

Tread plates, cross-branded veneers and accessories are a few other things buyers like to pick out themselves.
 

Nine out of every 10 such cars sold in India are made-to-order, and that is what makes the purchase of super-luxury cars unique — right from the way the target audience is identified to the way they are engaged with by the brand through the ownership period, says Sharad Agarwal, head of Lamborghini India.
 

“A lot is spent in customising the exteriors. It could be a brake caliper, interiors in a particular colour or design theme, or initials embroidered on the seats,” he points out.
 

For instance, choosing a colour in a Lamborghini itself is a big task.
 

“We have seen people doing two to three rounds of changes before placing an order for a car. There are customers who want a very specific colour and won’t settle for anything less,” says Agarwal.  
 

It transcends beyond sale and purchase. “At Lamborghini, it’s all about delivering an experience,” he adds. For instance, the customer first gets the scale model of the booked variant — the exact replica of the made-to-order model.
 

Then the team goes all out to make each of the deliveries unique. Some buyers want the car delivery to be a family affair, others want their friends to be involved in the event. There are also those who want the delivery to conform to a particular theme, Agarwal says.
 

Lamborghini India recorded its best-ever sales in 2021 with 69 units. Its cars — the Urus, the Huracan and the Aventador,— are priced upwards of Rs 4 crore, and with the customisation that most buyers demand, the cost can shoot up to Rs 7-8 crore.

With its latest offering, Lamborghini Urus Performante, the Italian carmaker expects to tap a new set of buyers, including women and those in tier 2 and 3 cities. “We are sold out for the life-cycle of the model,” says Agarwal for the Performante.