Qatar is important market for luxury: Rolls-Royce CEO

Gulf Times Editor-in-Chief Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka with Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-?tv?s. PICTURE: Thajudheen

Qatar is a very important market with its remarkable growth, potential and ability to understand luxury, Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös told Gulf Times in an exclusive interview. “The market has grown remarkably, especially in the last few years, and has immense potential since there is a better understanding about luxury and thanks to our amazing partners, Alfardan Group. This is what we exactly wanted and are, hence, extremely keen to establish our new showroom in Doha with a visual identity specification,” he explained. The CEO said Rolls-Royce’s new visual identity is special with its very interactive nature and the different ambiance it creates. “It reflects Rolls-Royce’s status as a true luxury house. We have a lot of display screens that exhibit the new and highly contemporary visual identity while reflecting the luxury in a unique way. These make the showroom comfortable and highly contemporary. We have developed the new commissioning area in order to help the clients explore new possibilities. The commissioning area gives them everything they want while selecting the cars and materials. This inspires the buyers while giving them a better shopping experience,” he said. The CEO said there is no competitor for Rolls-Royce in the automotive sector. “This is due to a host of reasons. And nobody reaches the Rolls-Royce levels and our clients are so much in love with our brand. Once they are in and understand the brand, they don’t leave. In the automotive segment, we are far ahead and we are the leaders,” he said. While detailing the Coachbuild programme, the Rolls-Royce CEO said it allows clients to entirely design the cars according to their needs while matching their tastes. “We keep introducing new programmes each year and Coachbuild allows its most elite customers to commission a car of their own. Our team of highly skilled craftspeople and designers brings out exclusive products for our clients as per their imagination of the ideal motor car while bringing a unique vision to life with Rolls-Royce Bespoke. Coachbuild is an extraordinary, invitation-only design collaboration between select patrons and artisans, resulting in a truly singular creation. It begins with a single line on paper. From there, Rolls-Royce designs a masterpiece free of time constraints or limitations. It is a vision realised without compromise. The client is involved in every single technical step,” he said, adding that designing and engineering are done at the request of its remarkable clientele. “From initial sketch to finishing touches, a Coachbuild motor car is built in true partnership while bringing together the finest materials incorporating the matchless skill, knowledge and experience of our artisans and engineers.” He said this is done only by invitation for the luminary clients. He said the latest product, Spectre, will be a two-door coupe that is fully electric and it will be on sale by the end of 2023. “Electrification will be done step by step and the electric car will be spectacular without any kind of compromise. It will be a marvellous car,” he said. While explaining Rolls-Royce Whispers, Müller-Ötvös said that it is the marque’s digital world of curated luxury, an application created to meet the demands and tastes of an eclectic network of global clients. “Whispers provides an engaging and inspiring experience for its unique online global community,” he said. “It’s available for partners of owners while providing a more holistic access.” “Whispers has features that facilitate face-to-face video interactions, for more natural communication between clients and the marque,” Müller-Ötvös continued. “The online live video options enables real-time communication with the marque’s executives, product experts and craftspeople.” “Clients may even view their motor car, live on the production line. Patrons can experience Rolls-Royce’s Global Centre of Luxury Manufacturing Excellence from wherever they are in the world,” he said, adding that the ticket to entry into the rarefied world of Whispers is a Goodwood-manufactured Rolls-Royce car.