[JayPrashanth]

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Rolls Royce is a bespoke British car maker operating in the ultra-luxury segment. Now owned by the BMW group, Rolls Royce continues to operate from its Goodwood facility in England. The car maker has been steadily spreading its wings in the Indian car market, where it is said to have sold about 250 cars since its official entry into the country in 2005.



While 250 Rolls Royces sold pale in comparison with what the brand has managed to sell in China, which brings in nearly 800 yearly units, the car maker is banking on its long association with India to celebrate its presence in the country through an India Edition model. This India Edition model is a tactic that Rolls Royce adopts in high-growth markets to boost its brand presence.

Notably, Rolls Royce rolled out a "Year of the Dragon" Phantom edition in China last year. The India Edition Rolls Royce is expected to arrive next year. It remains to be seen as to which among the 3 Rolls Royce cars that the brand sells in India, will get the India Edition treatment.



Rolls Royce cars have been the chosen rides of Indian royalty of yore with over 788 Rolls Royces being owned by the various Maharajas at different points of time in the past. In that light, the brand does have a quite a lot of heritage in India alone, stuff that it can use for the upcoming India Edition model.

Presently, the brand is collecting data and feedback from existing and prospective customers in order to explore the country's diversity and heritage through the India Edition model. Rolls Royce operates four dealerships and service centers in India, at Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. Soon, the brand will establish its fifth dealership at Chandigarh.



A builder of heavily customizable cars, Rolls Royce is bullish about its prospects in the Indian car market. The car maker currently sells the Phantom, Ghost and Wraith in India. All cars are imported into the country through the completely built unit (CBU) route considering the fact that Rolls Royce has a single production facility that caters worldwide, at Goodwood.

The Phantom is powered by a naturally aspirated 6.8 liter, V12 engine that features direct injection. This engine outputs 453 Bhp-720 Nm and is mated to an 8 speed automatic transmission. The car is available in a range of body styles. Prices of the Phantom range start at 6.5 crore rupees.

The Ghost range is outfitted with the 6.6 liter, direct injection V12 twin turbo petrol engine good for 563 Bhp-780 Nm. The engine gets an 8 speed automatic gearbox. The Ghost range starts from 4.3 crore rupees. The Wraith comes with a more powerful 600 Bhp-800 Nm version of the 6.6 liter V12 engine mated to the 8 speed automatic transmission. The Wraith starts at 4.6 crore rupees.

Source FinancialExpress