Rolls- Royce, once the favourite carmaker of India’s maharajas, has made a comeback in the country after a gap of almost 50 years in search of customers drawn from the new class of 21st century millionaires.
It recently launched its new Phantom super luxury sedan in Pune at a price tag of a whopping Rs 4 crore (Rs 40 million). The company has already had four confirmed orders for this model.
Rolls Royce, now owned by the German car giant BMW, had to move its operations out of India in the 1960s because of import restrictions. With the Indian automobile market experiencing a boom since 2000, the import duties are now not being seen as much of an impediment.
Yohan Poonawalla, 33, became the first Indian Rolls-Royce Phantom customer when he spent an estimated £480,000 on a specially customised version of the luxury vehicle.
The industrialist and stud-farm owner said: “I think the Rolls-Royce is the best car in the world. It will be a mobile office for my father and myself.”