Rolls-Royce expanding with ‘smaller’ model and the opening of its 80th dealership

It seems Rolls-Royce CEO Ian Robertson can’t keep his mouth shut surrounding information about the luxury marque's forthcoming new entrant. After revealing production details for the new model back at February’s Geneva Motor Show, Robertson has spilt the beans with Reuters at this week’s Shanghai Auto Show.

"We are working on a smaller car," Robertson said, mentioning that it will cost roughly one third less than the Phantom saloon but remain above BMW’s flagship 7-Series. Rolls-Royce has been enjoying great success with the Phantom but it still hasn’t met its original goal of selling 1,000 units annually. But this new model should change all that, with Robertson saying "we should more than double our overall sales with a broader market."

Production is scheduled to start in the not too distant future. "The design is finished and the first prototypes should be running very shortly," he said, adding that the plant in Crewe will soon be upgraded with a second production line to accommodate the new model.

Unlike the floundering Maybach brand, Rolls-Royce is moving from strength to strength. The company announced at the Shanghai show that its 80th showroom in the world has just been opened in Chengdu bringing its total in China to five. The country is easily Rolls-Royce’s fastest growing market and two new dealerships are planned to be opened within the next 12 months making China second only to the US.