Chapter 489 Flagship Model
Although the four British brands of Bentley, Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover were combined into the British Automobile Group, how to complete the true integration of these brands is the biggest problem facing the British Automobile Group at this time. .
To this end, Barron hired Vandal Hauke, who has extensive experience in the automotive field, as CEO of British Automotive Group.
The first challenge that Vandal needs to face is to reshape the development positioning of various brands under the British Automobile Group and complete the production and supply chain systems of these brands to reduce the waste of resources in these processes.
The first is Bentley. There is no doubt that the brands owned by the British Group at this time can all be called luxury car brands, but among these brands, Bentley is the top luxury car brand.
Why did Volkswagen Group have to buy Rolls-Royce-Bentley in the first place? It is because these two brands can be said to be the ceiling of global luxury car brands...
In the original time and space, Volkswagen got Bentley, BMW got Rolls-Royce, and Daimler (Mercedes-Benz), the last of the three major German car companies, had no choice but to resurrect the Maybach brand to compete with Bentley and Rolls-Royce. contend.
Therefore, Bentley's positioning in the British Automobile Group is that of a luxury car among luxury cars, and it will continue to benchmark against Rolls-Royce.
It is worth mentioning that when talking about Rolls-Royce, it seems to give people the impression that it is the royal brand of the British royal family - which is not bad. In the past, the cars used by the British royal family have always been Rolls-Royce. Produced at the Crewe factory.
However, after Rolls-Royce and Bentley were acquired by BMW and Volkswagen respectively, BMW acquired the Rolls-Royce brand, while the Crewe factory, the original Rolls-Royce-Bentley production plant, belonged to the Bentley brand.
Therefore, since 2002, Bentley has replaced Rolls-Royce as the only car brand designated by the British royal family, and has become the Queen's 50th anniversary celebration car.
This can also be used in Bentley's future competition with Rolls-Royce, the top luxury car brand.
What Barron demands is that Bentley needs to launch a new flagship model in the shortest possible time to replace their current flagship model, the Bentley Elegance.
The reason for this is not complicated. Bentley Arnage is the flagship model of Bentley Motors' four-door luxury sedan. It was launched at Le Mans on April 1998, 4. Its name comes from the famous curve "Arnage" on the Le Mans track.
Meanwhile, the Bentley Elegance is a derivative of the Rolls-Royce Silver Angel, sharing its platform and exterior design.
This started when Bentley was acquired by Rolls-Royce.
In fact, at the very beginning, the creation of the Bentley brand was the result of its founder's pursuit of performance and speed. The original Bentley once broke many speed records. However, after the launch of its mass-produced car, The price was too high and the sales volume was not ideal. In addition, it encountered an economic crisis at the time, resulting in huge losses and debts. It had no choice but to be acquired by Rolls-Royce.
After Rolls-Royce acquired Bentley, almost all the models launched by Bentley were copies of a Rolls-Royce model. It can be said that except for the car logo and engine cover, everything else is exactly the same, but Bentley's is also the same. The models and prices will be lower than the same models of Rolls-Royce...
This gives people the feeling that Bentley is not as upscale as Rolls-Royce.
If Bentley wants to compete with Rolls-Royce in the future, it will need to make changes. The first is to abandon the appearance style that is almost the same as Rolls-Royce and return to Bentley's excellent tradition and eager pursuit of power and speed.
In this way, Bentley's new flagship model, which was originally launched in 2010 and is also named after the legendary curve of the Le Mans circuit in France, will be launched ahead of schedule.
According to Barron's requirements, the new flagship Bentley Mulsanne must be elegant and have the most powerful power.
He requested that Mulsanne's luxury extended model must be more than 6 meters long and use a W12 engine. The luxury version would be purely handmade and would then become a car for the royal family and himself.
In addition, in terms of coupes and SUVs, Bentley will also continue to launch their main models, such as the Continental and Bentayga...
Barron would not allow Bentley to lower its value again, as he said to Fandral:
"As long as Bentley still belongs to me, I will not allow it to have a model priced below 50 pounds!"
If the British Automobile Group's brands are ranked in terms of luxury, they must be Bentley, Aston Martin and Jaguar/Land Rover.
Aston Martin still insists on focusing on supercars, but it will also launch SUV models that compete with Porsche's Cayenne. Unlike young people who like supercars, many middle-aged wealthy people are more interested in SUVs. In this market, Aston Martin should also get involved.
Especially in the Chinese market, you can know how big this market is by looking at how well the Cayenne sells.
As for Jaguar and Land Rover, they will also compete with Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. The difference is that in the future, Jaguar will mainly launch sedan models, while Land Rover will mainly launch SUVs.
After the new models of these brands of the British Automobile Group are launched, Barron's own fleet will also switch to its brands and "advertise" for these brands personally.
By then, his own car will definitely be a luxurious extended version of the Bentley Mulsanne, and his bodyguard team will be a Land Rover Defender.
……
"Your Highness the Duke, we are about to dock."
This time, following Barron on the maiden voyage of the "Caesar" was Rosie Huntington, the little model he originally selected in Neverland.
It's just that now, with Barron, the Duke, as her backer, Rosie Huntington is no longer the timid little model she once was. After receiving many resources, she has already made a name for herself in the modeling industry. .
She originally had the opportunity to participate in the Victoria's Secret Annual Conference, but she wisely refused that opportunity - she knew very well that her Highness the Duke did not have any weird hobbies when it came to women. He wouldn't like his woman to show too much publicity, let alone show more other places...
Anyway, she now holds shares in some of the largest model agencies in the UK. There is no need to care so much about the opportunity of Victoria's Secret like those models do. Her current life is compared to those of the supermodels. , all come better and more comfortable.
Sure enough, after hearing Rosie's words, Barron could already see the harbor in the distance from the window of the room.
This time when he came to France, he was also planning to meet with Ashley Weber to learn about the acquisition of Hermès shares.