I can't afford a Rolls-Royce, says new Asia Pacific GM Sven Ritter

At 35, Sven Ritter, Rolls-Royce's newest general manager, already has a wealth of experience behind him. His portfolio boasts stints with McLaren Automotive, Porsche and Daimler.

In Mumbai last week to announce the launch of the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II, Ritter chooses his words carefully, but lights up at the mention of luxury on wheels. Excerpts from a conversation about what luxury means to him and about his job.

Luxury to me

Luxury to me is when you have a dream and you are finally able to afford it, with all the hard work you've done. It's like a reward.

Ticket to extra attention

Well, right now I can't afford a Rolls-Royce so I drive a BMW, in Singapore, which is where I am based. The best part about driving around in a Rolls-Royce is that it feels like a calm oasis, sitting in it... completely oblivious to traffic woes and other such stuff. I wish I could drive it every day, but I do seize every opportunity to do so.

There is a sense of added attention every time I step out of it. I don't know about female attention... probably because I don't look for that in particular (laughs out loud). But very positive attention nonetheless. People stop to look at you, take pictures, smile at you... it's all very flattering. I was driving the car in Melbourne a few weeks ago and I stopped at a traffic light. The next thing I know, people were crowding around the car and clicking away.


(In photo: Sven Ritter, General Manager, Asia Pacific of Rolls-Royce)

Surprise markets in India

We have five dealerships in India at the moment — in Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Chandigarh. We're definitely looking for new opportunities and if we find any strong demand in any other location, we'd be happy to set shop there too.

Myth No. 1: The young don't drive it

The image that Rolls-Royce is not for the young has changed. We recently sold a Wraith to an Indian customer in his 20s. Globally, a lot of new customers are coming on board with the Wraith and the Ghost series, which are enhanced and have a modern look.

Overall, our customer base has very young to very old people and all in between. Traditionally, one has always seen a luxury car like the Rolls-Royce being chauffer-driven, but these days we see a shift in the young generation who love to drive it themselves.

Myth No.2: Rolls-Royce selects its own customers

That is absolutely not true. I wouldn't want to categorise the ideal Rolls-Royce customer either. We have a broad age group and different personalities of men and women who come from different environments who like the brand. But our customer has certainly achieved something in life to be able to drive a Rolls-Royce.

Bespoke, India style

More than 95 per cent of all our cars sold, globally and also in India, have some bespoke features. That is a very big business for us. One of the most common bespoke requests by Indian customers is to have their family names or initials embroidered on the seats and head rest. Then of course, one can customise the colours of the interiors, do up the veneers and so on.