British luxury cars on a Roll(s)

The Rolls-Royce stand featured what was undoubtedly the most luxurious car on show, the one-off Serenity, trimmed throughout in hand-embroidered and painted raw silk and marquetry-inlaid cherrywood.

The Rolls-Royce stand featured what was undoubtedly the most luxurious car on show, the one-off Serenity, trimmed throughout in hand-embroidered and painted raw silk and marquetry-inlaid cherrywood.

Published Mar 5, 2015

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Geneva Motor Show - Britain’s booming luxury car makers have stormed into the Palexpo Centre to steal the limelight from under the noses of their foreign rivals.

Their sales to date – and ambitious expansion plans to capture the cash of the wealthy from China to Calcutta and California – are driving a massive export boom. Show-stopping Aston Martin and Bentley set tongues wagging by taking the wraps off cars which had remained hidden before the show – but that point the way towards significant expansion of both brands, including into each others’ territory.

Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer arrived at Geneva hot-foot from the Far East where he had been accompanying Prince William – complete with chauffeur-driven white Aston Martin – on a British export drive to Japan.

Barely had he touched down than he was taking the wraps off a radical new family and female-friendly electric powered grand-tourer sports ‘crossover’ designed to lure young rich families. In short, the prototype DBX is aimed at James Bond the family man, swapping his licence to kill for a marriage licence and children.

The numbers are compelling. In 2014 Aston Martin sold less than 4000 cars, from a peak of nearer 9000.

To retain exclusivity, Palmer has set a cap of 7000 on sports car sales and believes he will hit that with a new generation of cars in the pipeline. The DBX will add another 5000 a year to that tally.

And discreetly hidden behind a curtain in a VIP area on the Aston Martin stand is a super-luxury Lagonda saloon with a price tag of about £600 000 (R10.8 million). This should add about 4000 global sales a year, taking the annual tally to about 16 000 – or four times current sales.

Palmer told crowds at the Aston Martin stand that, with 102 years of heritage behind it, his company’s Second Century plan would propel it into the next 100 years.

“Although modest in size by global motor industry standards, it is a company that has a deservedly outsized reputation.”

He said an Aston Martin should always be something “rare and exclusive” but “we believe we can grow carefully and organically by making this fantastically strong brand relevant to buyers who would have never before considered an Aston Martin”.

LUXURY 4X4

Bentley is also embarking on massive expansion plans. With a luxury 4X4 called Bentayga in the pipeline – set to be unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show in September – the Volkswagen-owned firm used an eve-of-show event to reveal a stunning two-seater ‘baby’ Bentley codenamed ‘EXP 10 Speed 6’ to challenge Aston Martin.

Last year Bentley sold a record 11 020 sportily luxurious limousines, coupes and cabriolets.

Sales and marketing director Kevin Rose said: “It’s like Britain re-discovering what it’s good at. It’s good for Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce as well as Bentley.”

Rolls-Royce chief executive Torsten Muller-Otvos was in equally good cheer. Rolls sold cars worth more than £1.2 billion (R25.6 billion) in 2014, recording the highest annual sales in its 111-year history.

The BMW-owned firm employing 1500 in Sussex delivered a record 4063 cars last year – up 12 percent on 2013 and boosted by sales to America, China and the Middle east. It has its own 4X4 in the pipeline, code-named Project Cullinan.

Jaguar Land Rover had a relatively quiet Geneva show, but is probably glad of that given the year in prospect.

Its new XE mid-sized sedan goes on sale in a bid to seriously pump up Jaguar volumes in a premium market dominated by BMW’s bread-and-butter 3 Series. Jaguar has bet the house on this car and it has to succeed.

A niche Jaguar sports utility vehicle, the F-Pace, will be unveiled later this year and hit showrooms early next year.

Jaguar Land Rover boss Ralf Speth prefers to under-promise and over-deliver and position his company as the cheeky underdog challenger against rivals such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Jaguar Land Rover’s combined sales were up nine percent in 2014 462 678. Jaguar sales were six percent to 81 570, with Land Rover up nine percent to 381 108.

Supercar maker McLaren was also out in force, as were Lotus and plucky independent producer Morgan from Malvern, showcasing its latest Aero sports car.

Daily Mail

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