Rolls-Royce expects new SUV Cullinan to contribute atleast 50% to sales

Rolls-Royce, which launched its first-ever sports utility vehicle (SUV) -- the Cullinan -- in India in December last year said the product would be one of the major growth drivers for the automobile major. The company said that 50 per cent of its sales would come from the Cullinan. 

The British luxury car maker's India sales have declined by 50 per cent in the last five years. Rolls Royce says that high tax rates continue to be a major challenge for its products.

The Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV was made available for sale in January at Rs 6.95 crore (ex-showroom India), of which nearly 60 per cent is tax. The first car from the British marquee brand was launched internationally in May 2018.

After showcasing Cullinan at Chennai on Thursday, David Kim, Regional Sales Manager, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Asia Pacific, said India is an important market for the company, despite it facing several challenges including high tax rates, demonetisation, currency fluctuations etc.

These challenges led to a nearly 50 per cent drop in sales for the company, said Kim. He declined to share any sales numbers. However, he said that Rolls Royce prices have almost doubled over the past decade.

"Still, we are hopeful about the Indian market as the number of high net worth individuals (HNIs) is growing and they look at Rolls-Royce as a super luxury brand, and not just a car," said Kim. He added that as aspiration levels go up in the country the company sees lot of young people eyeing a Rolls-Royce.

Five years ago, the average age of a Rolls-Royce owner was around 50, now it is 35.

He added that the average waiting period for the Cullinan is 8-10 months and that the company has received a good number of enquiries for the product from India.

Rolls-Royce posted its best global sales to date in 2018 with a volume of 4,017 units.