Two of the biggest and foremost names in the field of uber luxury automobiles Bentley Motors Ltd. and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd are now gearing up to target one of the most flourishing economies in Asia. Both luxury marque brands have announced that they will be significantly increasing their dealerships in India, targeting the rich and affluent of the country. Indian markets are now largely considered to be extremely vital and vibrant, while coming second only to the more thriving Chinese markets. In recent announcements, it was stated that Bentley will be adding more exclusive dealerships in India, while Rolls Royce under BMW AG (BMW) banner is expected to add more showrooms in the metropolitans of India, bringing the number to six. In the last couple of years, India has witnessed a sustained surge in the number of millionaires, where in the number is expected to grow to 403,000 by the year 2015, while as of 2010, the number of millionaires in India stood at 173,000.
In an effort to reach out the rich and the affluent of India, Bentley Motors had recently sponsored the prestigious Indian Masters tournament of polo and had later announced that company will be expanding dealership profile in Hyderabad and Chennai, while the company already maintains a strong presence in two of the biggest metropolitans of the country, New Delhi and Mumbai. Similarly, Rolls Royce also provided its exquisite brand name to the Maharaja of Jodhpur polo tournament, thereby further etching its vibrant relation with Indian customers. Post second world war, Rolls Royce had been quite integral to the elegance of the Indian royalty with nearly 1,000 Rolls Royce luxury cars being ordered by the Maharajas of the time. India has fast emerged as one of the most lucrative markets for luxury cars such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin etc. and as per IHS Automotive, the sales figures for luxury cars in India is expected to rise to up to 800 by the year 2020.
The luxury spending trends in India have seen exponential growth in the recent years, with an anonymous Indian buyer claiming the title of the youngest customer to purchase a Rolls-Royce Ghost. The 24 year old buyer purchased the uber luxurious Ghost for a whopping 29 million rupees ($570,000).
According to Lalit Choudary (Director, Performing Cars),
“Ultra-luxury cars such as Bentleys or Aston Martins are aspirational products and they come with social recognition. With the global economy picking up, sales have picked up.â€
