Rolls-Royce has opened its first “private office” within the US, a secret VIP design studio for ultra-rich clients who want highly personalized cars.
The private office in Manhattan's trendy Meatpacking District is central to the enduring British automaker's latest technique to boost sales and profits by selling more customized, costlier vehicles reasonably than ramping up production. Rolls-Royce produced 6,032 cars last 12 months, lower than half the production of Ferrari, Still, the corporate continues to generate strong earnings growth for its parent company BMW.
While Rolls-Royce customers have been customizing their vehicles for many years, the Private Office takes the concept of a customized Rolls to a complete latest level. Once select customers order a automobile from a dealer, they’ll work with a designer in a non-public office to create a totally personalized automobile – from special paint colours to their favorite fabrics, woods, lighting schemes and other materials.
“Maybe they want the exterior of their Rolls-Royce to match the color of their dog’s eyes,” said Chris Brownridge, CEO of Rolls-Royce. “They may want interior car trim with mother-of-pearl from their private collection. Thanks to direct access to the team, we can implement such wishes. And the possibilities are truly endless.”
Rolls-Royce calls its highest level of personalization the “Bespoke” program. Creating a custom Rolls can add tons of of 1000’s of dollars to the sticker price, which for a Rolls-Royce Phantom is slightly below $500,000, bringing the overall sales price of some cars to over $1 million.
The private office is reserved for essentially the most complicated – and expensive – bespoke projects. It shouldn’t be a dealer and no real cars are on display. To get into the private office, customers press a black security screen outside an unmarked constructing and take a secure elevator to the highest floor.
With its sleek black kitchen, low-slung sofas, dining table, outdoor patio, and record player with stacks of classic rock and jazz records, the private office looks more like a billionaire's second home than a automobile dealership. The only indication that this can be a Rolls-Royce facility is a series of shelves along the back wall displaying paint samples, threads, leather, metals and a series of the famous “Spirit of Ecstasy” hood ornament in various versions are issued.
The New York Private Office is the corporate's third office worldwide, following Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which opened in 2022, and Shanghai in 2023. The company is about to open its fourth office in Seoul, Korea.
The idea, says Brownridge, is to make the expertise and design capabilities of its factory in Goodwood, UK, available to customers around the globe. This is especially necessary as customer requests turn into increasingly unusual and sophisticated.
A Rolls-Royce customer wanted a automobile inspired by flowers. The Rolls team created an prolonged wheelbase Phantom with a headliner covered in greater than one million embroidered roses. Another customer who loves Hawaii and has a favourite rocking chair made out of rare Koa wood wanted a Koa-style Rolls. Because koa wood is protected in Hawaii, only dead or naturally fallen koa trees might be harvested. Rolls waited and looked for the proper tree for 3 years after which built a Koa Phantom, using the wood for the dashboard, center console and doors. The company even made an identical picnic basket and table. The entire package took greater than 500 hours to create.
“Many of these customers would never sell their cars,” Brownridge said. “It’s so personal and means too much to them.”
To sustain with the increasing demand for bespoke cars, Rolls-Royce can also be expanding its bespoke workshops in Goodwood. Brownridge said the goal shouldn’t be to supply more cars, but to supply higher quality, more customized cars.
“As our jobs have become more sophisticated, our business has become more successful,” Brownridge said. “Our mission is to create value for our shareholders, to create value for our retail partners, but most significantly to create value for our customers. Because once you produce a masterpiece for them, it means so rather more than simply a automobile.” I often say that the fact that they have four wheels is almost a nice-to-have because they really are a work of art .”
Brownridge said when customers build their special Rolls-Royces, they not only visit the Goodwood factory, but also meet the paint shop specialists, woodworkers, embroidery experts and other members of the team.
“Every single customer I’ve met says the thing about Rolls Royce is that it makes you feel like you’re part of a family,” he said. “They are not customers for us, they are part of Rolls Royce. Many of our customers will come to Goodwood and know the people who make their cars. It's not just the personal connection to the car. It's the personal connection with the entire team that produces these great things.
image credit : www.cnbc.com