Has Rolls Gone Too Far.....

The all new Rolls Royce Cullinan

     Behind all the hype and all the glory, can Rolls Royce really make a go of the all new Cullinan.  Sure it can as the CUV market is blowing up right now. But really is it the best thing for Rolls Royce to do. 

         The real question here is why they didn't enter this market back in the early 00's when the SUV market was on fire.  Well  if you really need an answer to that question all you have to do is look at the Porsche Cayenne and how it changed the look of Porsche.  Truly can Rolls Royce make a go at this all new market and can it keep its high end appeal.  For that we really have to take a true look at the entire market.

       From its start the CUV market has become a mainstay in the marketplace. Sure its just a more economical choice compared to the SUV, but really all it is a glorified version of a wagon.  Yes the CUV market really isn't all that it's hyped up to be, as most of the models within this market are just built off of sedan platforms.  Or wagons as most of the sedans out there do have wagon counterparts.  Sure CUV's do have better ground clearance and more interior room, but is there image better for your brand.  Well Porsche thought that it was as they released the Cayenne back in 2003.  It seemed that the whole world stopped and stared as Porsche was about to set the CUV market on fire.  Sure the Cayenne was a whole new model for this brand, but was it the best thing for the brand.  And as we stated in our last blog, it really wasn't.  So why does Rolls Royce want to be a part of this.
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     I guess if the competition is in the market, then why not you.  As Land Rover has increased their image and Bentley has made their own model it seemed like it was just a matter of time before Rolls Royce went after this market.  But why now as this market has been there for nearly two decades.  Well it's all about timing and brand image and Rolls Royce wants to do it right unlike some of their competitors.  But truly why would they go after this market at all.

     Well for starters you can make more money off your models as CUV's tend to yield better profit margins.  And second their main competition has already entered the market. But unlike the competition Rolls Royce is doing it alone.  Yes the Bentayga looks great and yields a healthy profit margin for Bentley, but let's face it, it's just an overblown Audi Q7.

     But how is Rolls Royce going to keep their High End brand image and not blow it like Porsche.  Well for starters they are going it alone, something that the competition is not doing.  This helps keep their image the same along with helping them enter a whole new market.  This is a lesson which VW should take to heart as the Q7, Cayenne, Urus and Bentayga are all built off the same platform.  Sure this keeps costs down, but when your Q7 has problems and has to be recalled that affects the image of all the models on that platform.

     This is why Rolls Royce is going it alone, as they want to be in complete control of their own model.  And if your main clientele are dignitaries and CEO's, then you want that complete control.  This control helps keep your brand image and model image up and allows you show how much you care about your customers.
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     And as the automotive market changes and more and more companies blend together, its' vehicles like the Cullinan which we are most looking forward too.  We hope that Rolls Royce will find success in their new model and hope that others will follow suit. The use of platform sharing are great, but their not great for every model.

Everett J.
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