Rolls Royce to launch India edition in 2014

According to GM of Emerging Marktes, Asia Rolls Royce Motor Cars, India is the most important market for the company in Asia Pacific

The Indian edition of Rolls-Royce is expected to be launched in 2014, according to company's senior official.

Herfried Hasenoehrl, general manager – Emerging Markets Asia Rolls-Royce Motor Cars said, “It is one of the interesting projects, we are working on it, since it need to meet lot of diversified customers expectations across the country. We may launch the India edition in 2014, but earlier the better," he added.

The Indian edition could be on the company’s Phantom or Ghost platforms, said a company official.

Speaking to reporters after showcasing Rolls-Royce Wraith for Southern market today, Hasenoehrl said the company is yet to come out a common culture or symbol which will could reflects the country's culture. Take for instance in China the company launched a new edition called “Year of The Dragon Phantom” in 2012

“We need a symbol, which will resemble the spirit and cultural diversity of India. We need to find a common thread,” said Hasenoehrl,

He added, India is the "most" important market for the company in Asia and that is why number of dealers for the company in India are high as compared to other parts in this region. The company currently has five dealers.

Rupee Impact

A senior official from the company has said that some of its customers are postponing their decisions due to the Rupee depreciation.

Venkatesh Krishanan, CEO, Kun Exclusive, a dealer for Rolls-Royce said that every one Rupee depreciation means it will increase the Rolls-Royce cars costlier by around Rs 7-10 lakh.

He noted, the luxury car markets customer already pay nearly 175% as duty to import the car.