Frankfurt (dpa) – The extremely wealthy of this world never used to have much trouble choosing a new car.
After all, apart from a few exotic sportsters the air above Jaguar, Mercedes, BMW and Audi was rarified and home to one marque only, Rolls-Royce.
In the future the decision may soon turn out to be more difficult. Following in the slipstream of the first Rolls-Royce under BMW aegis and a mega-Mercedes bearing the name Maybach – both of which are due out soon – other manufacturers are trying to cut themselves a piece of this rich yet extremely small cake.
Industry experts believe only a few thousand a year of these exclusive cars can be sold a year so competition for the patronage of truly affluent motorists is fierce.
The new luxury era began at the Tokyo motorshow in autumn 1997 when Mercedes presented the first design studio of the Maybach. According to Mercedes spokesman Florian Moser, this road liner measuring up to six metres in length is already being put through its paces and the Maybach should go on sale at the end of 2002. The price tag is expected to be 350,000 German marks (160,500 dollars).
Maybach was a close associate of Gottlieb Daimler and is regarded as the father of the first Mercedes. He later fell out with the founder and set up his own engine plant in Friedrichshafen. Maybach’s expensive V 12-powered limousines were only ever for a wealthy prewar clientele, including several leading Nazis. Production ceased in 1941.
The year 2003 should see the debut of the first Rolls-Royce with BMW at the controls. By the time the rights to the noble name revert from Volkswagen in Wolfsburg to Munich on December 2002, production should have already begun at the BMW-owned plant in Goodwood, Britain.
After a long battle with Volkswagen, BMW have pulled off a coup by gaining one of the best-known motoring names in the world. The history of the car that has become a byword for luxury on wheels goes back to the beginning of the 20th century. Henry Royce founded the company and adopted the “Spirit of Ecstasy” as its mascot before launching his first car in 1904.
Prototypes of the new generation “Roller” have been sighted – the snapshots reveal a regal car six metres of long and 1.7 metres tall from bumper to roofline. Germany’s “Autozeitung” claims to know more about this behemoth which is allegedly powered by an exclusive 12 cylinder engine not sharing any parts with its more common BMW cousins. The company hope customers will part with more than 230,000 dollars to be members of one of the world’s most exclusive owners clubs.
VW can lay claim to the Rolls-Royce name for a while but sales of the current Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph are half those of its more dynamic stablemate, the Bentley Arnage.
The legendary Bentley marque will represent the very peak of the range for Europe’s largest carmaker and a long wheelbase version of the Arnage is in the pipeline to ensure that every wealthy gentleman can order the appropriate carriage. The platform will also serve as the basis of something even more upmarket in the future.
Founded by Walter Owen Bentley in 1920, its emblem is a winged letter “B” on the grill. Since being taken over by Rolls-Royce in 1931 the Bentley has been regarded as the more sporting of the pair, ideal for owners who shun ostentation and prefer taking the wheel themselves.
VW’s boss Ferdinand Piech is unlikely to be satisfied with just one jewel in the crown, say those who know the ambitious magnate, and there’s speculation that the revived Bugatti marque may soon include a saloon.
A four-door version was among the design studies shown by VW. Ettore Bugatti founded the marque in 1909. Superior technology and a fine name were not enough to stop the lights being switched off for the last time at the Bugatti plant in Molsheim, France for the last time in 1956. Since then the plant has been rebuilt with VW cash and Piech has promised the logo will adorn a production model soon
The latest rumour among the motoring pundits is of a sumptuous limousine pitched far above the luxury Audi A8. It’s said the Ingolstadt team wants to relaunch the old Horch name, German for “hark” or “Audi” in Latin. Company spokesman Rainer Nistl said Audi had given some thought to such a project but once again “Autozeitung” claims to have had a sneak preview.
The journal says the Horch will be based on the A8 platform, be around 5.2 metres long and much taller than the rest of the range. Motive power could well be a turbocharged version of the 12-pot engine destined to make its debut in the top-of-the-range A8 this summer.
Over in England and the United States, car firms are aiming to cater for the fabulously wealthy too. This applies particularly to Jaguar, the top echelon in the Ford automotive empire. Apparently the Daimler name is being dusted off for use again after a long absence from the marketplace.
Daimler of Coventry is distantly related to the Stuttgart product and used to supply cars to the royal family and countless lord mayors. Germany’s well-informed auto motor und sport car magazine says the project is well underway, with the car unlikely to go on sale for less than around 220,000 dollars.
The limited market for such extravagant automobilia seems to be no problem for the manufacturers although behind the boardroom doors executives are hoping the availability of such exclusive product will generate its own demand. They are encouraged by the success of niche cars like minivans and roadsters which first became popular when they were offered by big name makers.
Models like these can alter the image of a marque, as indeed can a change of ownership. This has happened to Italian-born thoroughbred Lamborghini where the German influence is outwardly nowhere to be seen yet sales of the current Diabolo have gone up by 50 per cent inside a year.
