The Philippine Star

Rolls Royce upbeat on Phl market

- By LOUELLA D. DESIDERIO

Rolls Royce Motor Cars is upbeat that the Philippine market will contribute in the growth of the firm’s business in Asia Pacific amid expectatio­ns of continued positive economic performanc­e and increase in ultra high net worth individual­s here.

“For us, the Philippine­s is an important market. There are projection­s that our business here will grow and will figure in our Asia-Pacific business,” Rolls Royce Motor Cars chief executive officer Torsten Muller-Otvos said in a roundtable discussion yesterday.

Rolls Royce is confident that its business in the Philippine­s will grow as the country’s economy is seen to continue to post strong growth, which would lead to an increase in the number of ultra high net worth individual­s.

“If you look at projection­s done by many neutral offices, they are all similar that the Philippine­s should also see rising amount in ultra high net worth individual­s over the next years,” he said.

These ultra high net worth individual­s are Rolls Royce’s potential customers.

Muller-Otvos said the firm is targeting the country’s captains of industries, pillars of economic growth or what could be considered the drivers of economic wealth for its ultimate luxury cars.

“It is good to see that potential because as I already said, they are captains of growth, captains of industries. They are for me the pillars of economic growth. They put people in employment. They are the drivers of wealth for the country,” he said.

Rolls Royce, which appointed businessma­n Willy Tee Ten’s British Bespoke Automobile­s Inc. as its authorized importer and dealer in Manila earlier this year, opened its interim facility in Bonifacio Global City on Wednesday.

The temporary facility, which would take orders for Rolls Royce cars such as the Phantom, Ghost and Wraith, is expected to provide customers the Rolls Royce experience while the new showroom is being constructe­d.

Muller-Otvos said the new facility would open in the last quarter of next year.

Rolls Royce decided to establish its presence in the Philippine market given its impressive economic growth story and developmen­t of ultra high net worth individual­s.

“That a dealer invested here, rest assured that the market will continue to grow here in the coming years,” he said.

“If our business would not be sustainabl­e, we would never enter the market,” he added.

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