The new Rolls-Royce Ghost has arrived

Martin Fritsches, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Americas president and CEO, discusses the importance of the all-new Ghost sedan.

Video Transcript

- So joining me now to discuss all things luxury, as well as fine automobiles, is Martin Fritsches, President and CEO of Rolls-Royce North America. Martin, there's a new car out. It's called the ghost. It's a brand new model for you guys. It's starting to appear in dealerships now. Tell me about it. Why is it so important for the brand?

MARTIN FRITSCHES: It's a pleasure to be with you here. An absolutely new Rolls-Royce Ghost. I mean, it's the most popular global Rolls-Royce, and it was the launch year in 2020 for us globally, and particularly, also, in the US. And it has been really a fantastic launch.

Because in the middle of this pandemic and as the market continues to evolve, it has been the product that really started to show us a new phase of Rolls-Royce, focusing onto the post-opulence era. And obviously, we've been also able to embed all of the technology features, but in a more subtle, and let's say, less opulent way.

- You know, you talk about that term post-opulence. It appears in your guys' press materials and things like that. What does that mean exactly? Does it mean that the clients help with the Ghost? They want an experience that's not so ostentatious. They want it to be a bit more refined. I mean, the Rolls is pretty refined too begin with.

MARTIN FRITSCHES: Absolutely, and yes, our customer base, obviously, evolves. It is adapting to a change this year, and particularly, I mean, they continue to be very demanding. But we have realized in the last couple of years that, obviously, they're going more into a minimalistic approach. They want to see things in a smoother way. And again, it's not about being flashy and showing off, but really having the best of the best in a very sophisticated way, a exclusive way without having to show off.

- You know, I had the chance to test drive the Ghost. For me, these kinds of bigger sedans aren't necessarily my thing, but I was quite surprised by-- you know, it's a pretty big car, about 15 feet long, I think. But it actually drove smaller than it felt.

You saw that magic carpet ride that you guys are known for, but a lot had changed under the skin, right? We're talking about adaptive suspension, all wheel drive, the planar scanning, rear wheel steering. That sort of makes the car drive a little smaller is my take.

MARTIN FRITSCHES: Absolutely, and you nailed it. It's everything new. It's a brand new car from scratch, and ultimately, the only thing that is really remaining is the spirit of ecstasy and the umbrellas. Very famous for Rolls-Royce, but you mentioned it. I mean, it's the architecture of luxury. We already saw it.

We have it on the Phantom and the Cullinan. And we took it over for the first time here for the new Ghost. The all wheel drive and all wheel steering, the planar suspension system, I mean, all technological features linked to the V12 powerful engine to have really all the components. So whenever you need it to really have the latest technologies embedded in this very unique product.

- You know, you talk about a car that has sort of everything you need. This is catering to really ultra high net worth people. What are you hearing from your clients? What are they telling you? Are commissions starting to rise? What are you hearing now?

MARTIN FRITSCHES: I mean, our customer base not only is changing. It's becoming more and more younger. But all in all, despite all these changes, I mean, they are absolutely very demanding. And what we have been hearing, yes, the more our customers are going into the direction of increasing the number of commissions, we are a heavily bespoke brand. And for us, obviously, it's all about experience and having this very close, personalized, one on one touch with our customers. So what brought us, particularly, these last couple of months is that the number of bespoke orders, and I mean, these customized requests have been drastically increasing.

- So you're focused more on the Americas, right? You guys had a historic 2019. 2020, look, a lot of companies have had some tough times here, especially in the high end too. But maybe we're turning the corner. I'm not sure.

Maybe we are, but you know, you guys have a lot going on. You have black badge now. You have the Ghost coming out. Are those the biggest kind of growth drivers for the company? Where do you see that coming from, growth for you guys in the Americas?

MARTIN FRITSCHES: I mean, we have to bear in mind that 2019 has been our best year ever. Not only globally, but also, in the Americas and particularly driven by the launch of Cullinan. But I must say, as I mentioned earlier, the new Ghost is globally, let's say, the most popular product. So with this launch, I mean, it's, again, bringing new customers to our brand as well. And with our current product lineup and further encouraging the customization and the personalization, personalized approach, I mean, our trend is to continue expanding our business here, particularly in the US, but also, markets like Canada, where we have seen that the growth has been one of the strongest in the last two years globally.