Why are they expecting such a huge demand you ask? CLSA Asia-Pacific estimates the number of millionaires will surge to 403,000 by 2015 from 173,000 in 2010.

These new millionaires are looking to differentiate themselves from the now common Mercedes and BMW. Interesting fact – The youngest owner of the RR Ghost is from India. The British marquee now plans to have a total of 6 dealerships in India by year end. Bentley, on the other hand want to have 4 by the year end.

IHS Automotive predicts that the number of super-luxury cars – including Ferrari, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Bentley and Rolls-Royce models – sold in India will jump to about 800 by 2020. Last year, the total was a measly 180 .

Both brands are also creating an awareness in the country to garner more customers. Bentley sponsored this month’s Indian Masters tournament of polo whereas Rolls Royce promoted its cars in the Maharaja of Jodhpur polo tournament

[Source: sfgate.com]

Ford unleashed a barrage of images and details of the Torneo Custom Concept that heralds the company into a new generation of passenger carriers and commercial vehicles. The Torneo Concept debuts a host of new technologies and driver assistance modules. The first models based on the Torneo concept will roll out in 2012. The new vans and light truck series is designed for European and Asian market customers.

Bentley has revealed the EXP 9 F luxury SUV concept at the Geneva show to ask customers and potential customers their feedback for a potential third Bentley model. Bentley’s research revealed that many of its buyers drive SUVs of rival brands. The EXP 9 F will be shaped carefully using the comments and inputs of its clients. It could be the most luxurious SUV in the world with benchmark-setting key performance parameters such as top speed and acceleration, credit to the 600bhp 6-liter W12 petrol engine.

Ford has finished premiering the B-Max mini MPV which essentially is a larger Fiesta hatchback with sliding doors and no B-Pillar. It is powered by the same 1-liter Ecoboost petrol engine, but due to the increase in length and height, interior room has vastly improved. The B-Max uses the same 1.5-liter diesel engine as the Indian Fiesta, thereby debuting the engine in Europe.

On the eve of the 82nd Geneva Motor Show, Rolls Royce has given the big old Phantom a much needed facelift, nine years after it first debuted. Although it is not a comprehensive facelift, it does include minor cosmetic enhancements, some more tech goodies and changes to the drivetrain. This the first makeover for the Roller that was unveiled back in 2003.

Rolls Royce already has three dealerships in India, in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. The last city is an interesting addition, but did you know that the Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Khan Siddiqi Asaf Jah II, was a marquee customer? According to the records, he had purchased 50 Rolls Royce cars in his lifetime and his collection included a Barker coach built Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, which he had acquired in 1912 and used as a ceremonial car.

Rolls Royce offers two cars in India in various forms and a countless number of customization options. The Rolls Royce Phantom, propelled by a 6749 cc V12 engine producing 453bhp and 730Nm of torque, sells in three versions i.e. the Phantom, Phantom Coupe and the Phantom Drop head Coupe. The second and range topping model is the Ghost with a 6592cc V12 producing 563bhp/783Nm sold in two forms i.e. the standard Ghost and the Ghost EWB (Extended Wheelbase Version).

The event coincided with the launch of the Rolls Royce Ghost long wheelbase version. The car gains 170mm in wheelbase, its cabin now spread out at 3465mm, comes fairly close to that of the Phantom’s 3570mm. Additionally it also gets panoramic sunroof, and lamb wool carpets and multimedia theater configuration as standard features.

The standard Ghost retails at 2.70cr, Ghost EWB at 3.05cr, standard Phantom at 4.38cr, Phantom Coupe at 4.50cr and the Phantom Drophead Coupe at 4.50cr, on-road Delhi.

However, as many accolades as the Phantom has won in the last 7 years, the fact remains that the car was launched in 2003 and an upgrade is overdue. The upgrade become nearly necessary when you know that Mercedes’s Maybach is officially dead and Bentley is trying its level best to hijack a couple of Maybach’s celebrity customers for publicity and brand building.

However, BMW has no plans to replace the Phantom any time soon. The next best alternative is a facelift – a little nip and tuck to make the Phantom look fresh and vibrant. CarScoop has managed to snag an image of a prototype showcasing what to expect in the future. The prototype reveals  that the Phantom will sport redesigned headlamp sets.

Being an early prototype, it is possible that the production model may feature more changes such as the bumper and tail lamp redesigns.

That’s not all. Our friends at WorldCarFans have caught the Coupe version of the Rolls Royce Phantom doing its winter testing rounds. Not much else is known about the Phantom Coupe but WorldCarFans expects some updates to the interior and powertrain to go along with the new styling. Expect to see the new Rolls Royce Phantom launched by the end of 2012.

Source: CarScoop.BlogSport.com & WorldCarFans.com

It plans to appoint one dealer in north India and the second either in central or south India. Over 200 Rolls Royce cars have been sold to customers since 2005 and the company is struggling to meet demand of the recently launched Ghost model.

[Source - Zeenews.india.com]

The Ghost is the entry level limousine that Rolls Royce offers to welcome new customers to the brand. It is the most successful product across the globe because a lot of people who were planning to buy a Mercedes S Class or the Audi A8 suddenly saw the spirit of ecstasy in their sight.

The reason why RR is able to offer the Ghost as a lower price is because it did not develop the Ghost platform.

The Ghost is not a bespoke Rolls Royce; it is in fact a BMW 7 Series underneath. However, the boffins at the Goodwood plant have made sure that the connection isn’t so evident. Powered by a 6.6 litre, V12 that that pokes 563 ponies and 780 Nm of torque, the Ghost can do a 0-100 run in 5 seconds.

The long wheelbase version of the Ghost will set you back by a whopping 3.05 crores. Don’t try to sell your organs, you still won’t be able to reach that figure even if your heart is made of gold

Torsten Muller Otvos, Global chief executive of Rolls Royce Motor Cars -

We couldn’t keep up with the demand – by the end of last year, we had more orders than we were able to supply.

With respect to 2009, Rolls Royce India registered an astounding sales growth of 400% YOY.

Most of this growth is fueled by RR’s latest entry level model – The Ghost. And Indians are spending even more on customizing their Ghost. The new customers are adding anything from personalized tread plates to interiors and specialized luggage glassware and picnic sets.

I guess it’s a habit that has been passed on to us by the Maharajas who used to customize their Rolls Royces with ivory and diamonds.

The demand is so lucrative that Mr Otvos is making his first visit to India later this week to expand Rolls’ dealerships network to Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Right from the British Raj, India has always loved Rolls Royce, even more than Mercedes. Most of our Maharajas used to have one (or more than one in some cases) parked in their garages for special visits of their empire. Some even pimped them up with ivory, peacock feathers and diamonds (Yea! 50 Cents move over, we started it way back)

Well, the golden age has returned with India being the 3rd largest market for RR in the Asia Pacific region, after China and Japan. The company is projecting sales of up to 70 units in the coming year. That’s 7 times of what it sold last time!

The company has currently two dealerships in Delhi and Mumbai with a total 5 variants of the Ghost and Phantom on sale priced between 2 to 5 crore rupees. The company is banking on the 7 Series-based Ghost model to drive in majority of the sales.

Globally, the company has had a very successful year and has managed to double its sales with over 2000 units!

Even internationally, majority of the sales have been brought by the Ghost by contributing over three-quarters of Rolls total sales. The company has also plans to introduce long-wheelbase, Drophead coupe and coupe versions of the Ghost very soon.

The Ghost is an entry level Rolls Royce which is built on the BMW 7 series platform and is targeted towards the young buyers who are new to the marque.

Source – motorbeam.com

There will be a lot of ghost on streets if Rolls Royce ambitions are anything to go by. The baby Roller is all set to have many cousin sisters in the future.

Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes, the CEO of Rolls Royce said to Bloomberg -

I’m quite confident that we’re going to see a Ghost derivative to come. There’s still a lot of potential in the market.

The RR Ghost utilizes the BMW 7 Series platform and the company managed to sell the full consignment of 60 Ghosts in less than 2 weeks.

The major focus of the company will be on emerging markets like China, India and the Middle East. The CEO’s enthusiasm is buoyed by the recent increase in the sales. Rolls-Royce had a 17% drop in sales in 2009 due to recession. But as the economy is recovering so are the sales and the company has set an ambitious target of 2,000+ cars in 2010.

Although he didn’t give any hint as to how the product line up will expand, we are expecting a longer wheel base model for the emerging markets following it up with a Drophead.

Source – Car Scoop

The Indian market’s thirst for exotic cars far from getting quenched despite recession or other intervening factors. Rolls Royce, which introduced the Ghost in Delhi a little over two weeks ago, has almost sold out the sixty allotted vehicles for the Indian market.

The RR Ghost costs Rs 2.5 crore rupees. If you choose to customize it, it can cost up to 4.5 crore depending on the level of individualization.

Rolls-Royce has two showrooms in India, one in Delhi and the other in Mumbai.

According to company officials, 80 percent of those who have booked the Ghost are new to the brand.

Rolls Royce Ghost Launch Image Gallery

If you aren’t able to view the image slideshow above, why not view the images directly at the Rolls Royce Ghost Image Gallery?