A British Luxury brand with over a century of experience success upon success, Rolls-Royce stands apart in the world of automobiles. As the epitome of the fusion of a history of successful business ventures and outstanding marketing strategies, the brand has morphed into an impeccable product experience, one that will last for years to come.
As we delve into this article, we see what makes the car so expensive. In summary, you can expect to see handcrafted niche-specific artwork, engineering expertise, and customer-centered company policy to be the headliners of every decision the brand has made.
History of the Brand
Rolls-Royce started out with the brand mastermind, Henry Royce, deciding to establish a name for himself in domestic electric fittings. Fascinated by all things mechanical, Royce started exploring motor cars, purchasing different models, and then rearranging them. These improved versions were not enough to appease his never-ending appetite for building and propelled him into manufacturing his own vehicle.
Royce created 2 vehicles, which were later given to Ernest Claremont and Henry Edmunds. At the time, Edmunds was one of the directors of the company and happened to be a dear friend of Charles Rolls. Edmunds showed Royce’s car to Rolls, who had a car showroom in the city of London.
Although Rolls’ main interest was cars with three and four cylinders, he became oddly fascinated with Royce’s two-cylinder motor car. This led to the symbolic first meeting between Rolls and Henry Royce on the 4th of May, 1904, in the Midland Hotel in Manchester, leading to a partnership that created one of the most magnificent cars in the world.
It started off as a car manufacturing company but eventually grew to be an engineering firm that created a number of other products, such as helicopters, aircraft engines, and nuclear power plants.
Modern Retrospective
Although it bears the same name, every vehicle that was produced before 2003 fell under Bentley Motors Limited, a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG. In 1998, BMW fully owned Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited after licensing all the rights of the branding and logo from Rolls-Royce Holdings.
BMW also acquired the rights to the Spirit of Ecstasy, the sculpture that was placed on every car manufactured under the brand name Rolls-Royce. The bonnet ornament portrays a woman who leans forward while her arms are stretching behind, with pieces of clothing that resemble wings on her outstretched arms.
Top Reasons That Make the Rolls Royce Expensive
#1 Legacy & Brand Prestige
Rolls-Royce is one of the most unique brands that exist on this planet, so much so that it has risen above the competition of today’s automobile industry. Rolls-Royce has made sure that the features it provides are ones unique to the brand and cannot be provided by any other.
According to the CEO of the company, Rolls-Royce is not even in the car business; they are selling luxury goods, not vehicles. The Rolls-Royce brand is a symbol of luxury, and therefore the company mantra is that every piece of detail incorporated in their vehicles is a story of luxury by itself.
#3 Marketing Strategy
The Search for Perfection
Luxury underpins every aspect of the Rolls-Royce. This also applies to their promotional and marketing strategies. Marketing communication is heavily focused on the search for greatness, perfection, and uniqueness. All these attributes contribute to their main mantra: the constant search for great achievements.
Lifestyle Focused
The fact that their automobiles are never explicitly mentioned in any of the content on their communication platforms is interesting. When marketing their products, they emphasize the lifestyle their items can provide for the owner and introduce customers to that lifestyle.
Loyalty and Community Building
Event promotion is a frequent strategy for reaching the desired demographic, as it serves to both attract and retain customers through exclusive gatherings. Rolls-Royce is best understood as a close-knit group of people united by a shared desire to stand out from the crowd. Members have access to a plethora of automobile displays, art-related events, and history revivals.
The brand incorporates art into all its activities. This company supports a number of different programs that showcase a variety of artists working with diverse technologies. The company is also involved in a charitable endeavor that raises money for medical research, with artists like Marc Quinn serving as collaborators.
#4 The Production Process
Time-Consuming
Although more vehicles have been produced over the last decade, the average annual production of new Rolls-Royce vehicles hovers at roughly 4,000 models per year. The hands-on production process may take up to six months to complete, and up to 60 skilled engineers and technicians will work directly on the vehicle before it reaches the garage.
This meticulous approach results in unmatched quality and attention to detail but it comes at a cost: the increased labor expenses and time spent producing each vehicle contribute significantly to the final price.
Limited Production Numbers, Ensuring Exclusivity
Unlike mass-market automobile manufacturers, who create hundreds of vehicles every day, Rolls-Royce focuses on constructing a limited number of luxury vehicles to preserve the highest quality and detail standards. This method guarantees that each car is assembled with the utmost care.
This exclusivity increases the brand’s appeal to wealthy customers who want luxury and originality. When you purchase a Rolls-Royce, you join an exclusive club that enjoys a one-of-a-kind driving experience.
#5 Engineering Techniques
Rolls-Royce cars are built with unique elements that distinguish them from other luxury cars. Incorporating exclusive components maintains the standards associated with the brand. Some such notable components are as follows:
The Architecture of Luxury
Also known as Rolls-Royce Architecture, this is a platform comprising an aluminum spaceframe that can be scaled and adapted for a diverse range of luxury products. It defines the next generation of Rolls-Royce motor cars, enabling them to deliver incomparable ride quality, acoustic characteristics, passenger comfort, exterior presence, and interior space.
Custom-Built Engines
The custom-built twin-turbocharged 6.75-litre V12 engine for the Phantom model is specifically designed for Rolls-Royce. This powerful engine is the reason for the vehicle’s smooth ride and impressive driving capabilities.
Advanced Acoustic Insulation
When driving inside a Rolls-Royce, there is no ambient noise from the road or from the car itself. BMW wanted to make a silent ride, ensuring that executives could take calls without worrying about car noise. It also makes the ride generally more tranquil.
To achieve this, more than 300 pounds of insulation is used in the interior. The insulation itself can be cheap, but 300 pounds of it is certainly not. When there is absolute silence, however, it can cause auditory sensory deprivation, but the brand works hard to achieve the right balance. If something seems off, the designers scrap it and start over.
The insulation also needs to fit in the car. Specialized tools, materials, and designs allow the insulation to fit inside the cabin of the car. If you want a quiet ride, then Rolls-Royce can help, but it will come at a steep price.
Special Tires
BMW also invests in specialized tires to reduce noise. Continental (a tire manufacturer) works with BMW to produce tires with foam instead of air. Upon testing, these tires were found to reduce the overall noise of the road by nine decibels.
The manufacturing process involved in such specialized tires has its own costs. The exclusivity of these tires to Rolls-Royce vehicles has resulted in a niche market, driving up the price. To get Continental Tires installed, you will need to locate a professional in the field. Both these aspects also render repairs in these tires a costly affair.
Self-Righting Wheels
The steering wheel in every Rolls-Royce is always upright; the brand never wants its logo to be turned upside down or even to the side. To accomplish this, handmade self-righting wheel centers. The wheel will turn itself until the RR logo is back in the upright position. This small detail shows the pride and importance Rolls-Royce places on itself as a brand.
Such a feature is very expensive. The company already uses the best materials for its steering wheels to minimize long-term wear and tear and then makes sure what it makes stays in place; this takes time, hard work, and specialized engineers, followed by quality assurance tests.
#6 Craftsmanship
Handcrafted Quality and Craftsmanship
At the brand’s cutting-edge production facility in Goodwood, England, each and every Rolls-Royce automobile is handcrafted and built from the ground up. Detailed craftsmanship can be seen in every facet, from the exterior to the internal stitching. The brand is very proud of the fact that it can make cars that are exactly what its customers want while still meeting high-quality standards.
This dedication to handcrafted quality guarantees that every component of a Rolls-Royce car satisfies the greatest standards for functionality, aesthetics, and comfort. As a result, this procedure takes a long time and requires a lot of personnel, raising the price of these expensive cars altogether.
Expensive Materials Used for Interiors and Exteriors
Rolls-Royce cars are known for their use of expensive materials in both interiors and exteriors, contributing to their high cost. For instance:
- Premium Leather: Premium leather is sourced from exclusive suppliers to ensure consistency in color and texture throughout the cabin.
- Sourced Veneers: The wood veneers found in many models come from carefully selected trees worldwide, providing rich and exquisite finishes for interior panels.
- Paints: For the exterior, unique paints containing special effects or rare materials like crushed diamonds are options that are available if the customer wants them.
- State-of-the-Art Metals: Rolls-Royce employs high-grade metals like aluminum and stainless steel to create lightweight yet durable frames that ensure a smooth ride.
Starlight Headliner
The Starlight Headliner is a series of holes in the top of the car with lights behind them. It makes the ceiling inside your car look like the night sky. It is a handmade staple in many Rolls-Royces that takes roughly 16 hours to make, involving meticulous guiding of fiber optic lights through apertures made in the fabric.
Customization is also available. Different designs, constellations, and color options are tailored to the taste of the customer. You can also remove the feature completely, though most choose to keep it. The embroidery that covers the ceiling is also handmade and customer-centered.
#7 Detailed and Customer Orientated Customisations
They will never deny a custom design. That is what makes Rolls-Royce so expensive in the first place. As long as you have the money to spend, they will make sure your customized ideas become a reality.
Bespoke Designs
The interior can also be customized with bespoke embroidery designs and materials based on the client’s desires. Also, the company offers exclusive features such as artwork commissions and personalized starlight headliner patterns to enhance the vehicle’s elegance.
(the Falcon Wraith’s headliner)
Dashboard
The Dashboards are handcrafted. Since customers often want different customizations, the brand sets out to acquire the required materials and then put them all together. For instance, some want artwork incorporated into the dashboard, while others want to apply diamonds and gold.
The complexity of your dashboard customization determines how expensive your Rolls-Royce is going to be overall. If using expensive hardwood, for example, expect the price to reflect your choice. If your dashboard requires BMW to find and hire specialists for materials they’ve never worked with before, then you can expect the price of your car to be high.
Color Choices and Customisation – the most expensive feature!
Choosing a paint job is the first step in getting a new Rolls Royce. With over 44,000 options, the company guarantees that they have the precise shade you need, down to the last brushstroke. On the off chance that they do not stock your ideal shade, it will be made for you; in fact, the color you select will be named after you! If anyone else ever wants to use that color, they will have to get your approval first.
The spray painting of the Rolls Royce’s body shell is a 22-step procedure that uses 45 kilograms of paint. The painting process for a Rolls-Royce takes over 10 weeks because humans are used instead of machines, despite the fact that most other luxury automakers utilize robots. Robots are only used for the last coat of paint. Polishing takes an additional 5 hours after the painting is done.
#8 Special Features and Gadgets
Some examples of features include built-in mini-fridges for those long drives, offering a touch of extravagance on every journey. The Phantom also comes with automatic lowering picnic tables equipped with infotainment screens that provide essential travel information. To enhance privacy, opaque black curtains can be rolled out in front of the windows with just a touch of a button.
#9 Intensive After-Sale Services and Maintainance Support
Maintaining such a luxurious requires expert knowledge and skill. The company is committed to customer satisfaction and ensures that its customers receive the best support. Highly trained technicians who know every detail about these cars are always available whenever your car needs repairs or regular servicing to handle everything with precision and care.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the “lifestyle of luxury” mantra of Rolls-Royce is reflected in every aspect of the brand’s actions and in the price as well! From customizations to ensuring the best customer experience, for those who have the image of their dream car – as well as the money to spend – a Rolls Royce is your best bet.
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