Rolls-Royce may forced into the SUV, station wagon market

Rolls-Royce is one of the most luxurious brands in the world. For years, Rolls-Royce has refused to offering a more ‘affordable’ version of its vehicles in fear that it would dilute the brand’s exclusivity – and we don’t blame them.

However, it seems as if Rolls-Royce may be forced into markets and segments it never really considered or completely refused to think twice about.

Currently, Mercedes-Benz is tapping into the very elite with a $200,000 to $250,000 version of the S Class, which puts it closer to Rolls-Royce’s Ghost. Direct rivals like Bentley have already confirmed an SUV with production scheduled for 2015.

What is Rolls-Royce to do? According to Automotive News the brand is now considering segments like station wagons (like the Ferrari FF), an SUV and even a more affordable Rolls for the mass market sales.

Being owned by BMW, Rolls-Royce has plenty of parts and components at its disposal. The automaker could use the X5 platform for an SUV and even tap into the 5 Series platform for a more affordable Rolls and/or a station wagon like the Ferrari FF.

We’re pretty sure a decision like this won’t be taken lightly at Rolls-Royce so don’t get your hopes up just yet. This uber-luxury brand is not in a rush to move fast and jump to conclusions. We might end up waiting at least 5-6 years until Rolls-Royce even considers offering an SUV – we’re just saying that the market is pushing them closer and closer to that decision.

Source: AutoNews