Are you ready for the Phantom?
MANILA, Philippines — “Rolls-Royce has been doing steady business in the Philippines,” said Willy Tee Ten, president of Rolls-Royce Cars Manila, at the launch of the Rolls Royce Phantom, recently. “Globally, our business has improved 13 percent year on year versus 2017, and with the launch of Phantom and Cullinan we are confident of continued success in the Philippines.”
“Who can afford to buy a Rolls-Royce?” I asked further.
“Rolls-Royce owners are a rarefied few, but all are movers and shakers of the world,” said Tee Ten. “They are titans of industry, and provide jobs and motivate the economy here.”
The all-new Rolls-Royce Phantom arrived in Manila at a grand showcase held at the BGC Arts Center. The launch showcased the history of Phantom since 1925, featured an intimate lounge where customers could sample the materials in the pinnacle super-luxury limousine, and configurators to highlight near-limitless bespoke possibilities of the Phantom.
“The new Phantom is an exceptional automobile that is truly one of one — it symbolizes the ultimate presence, manifests unmistakable power and showcases authentic hand-crafted quality as only Rolls-Royce can do,” said David Kim, Asia Pacific regional sales manager. “In addition, with cutting-edge innovations like a unique Architecture of Luxury underpinning, our famed ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ experience enhanced to near-silence, and possibilities of displaying Bespoke artwork in the ‘Gallery’, we are confident that New Phantom will once again take its place at the peerless pinnacle of the super-luxury landscape in Philippines.
“Rolls-Royce is luxury royalty, and Phantom is the jewel in Rolls-Royce’s crown,” added Tee Ten. “The Autohub Group is delighted to launch the all-new Phantom, resetting the benchmark for ultimate luxury in the Philippines, confirming the importance of the Filipino market for Rolls-Royce and sustaining the company’s vision of providing exceptional customer experiences.”
A glimpse of the Phantom
What a car: The Rolls-Royce Phantom
The Phantom offers a thoroughly contemporary design interpretation of Rolls-Royce DNA — one that symbolizes sheer power of presence.
The Magic Carpet Ride experience was also enhanced to levels of near-silence on the new Phantom because of the integration of new technologies and an all-new twin-turbocharged V12 engine capable of delivering effortless progress to any destination.
Underneath its sculpted skin, an all-new aluminum ‘Architecture of Luxury’ further enables New Phantom to be lighter, stiffer and quieter. This innovation is unique to Rolls-Royce, and will underpin every future model with the marque.
The centerpiece of Phantom is ‘The Gallery’ — a notion that reinterprets the motorcar’s dashboard for the first time in 100 years. A piece of hardened glass spans the entire length of the dashboard, and this sets the stage for patrons to display spectacular works of art if they desire.
The new Phantom was presented in black diamond, with an Armagnac interior. Bespoke highlights on the car include illuminated treadplates, rear massage seats and a “Rivenslate” Gallery.
“No matter where you are in the world, there will always be appreciators of the highest levels of luxury,” Tee Ten added. “This is no different in the Philippines, and so Phantom is now here to inspire greatness with near-limitless Bespoke personalization options, and a presence of power unlike anything else on the road.”
I asked one more question before I went on drooling as I looked at the Phantom.
When will the Rolls-Royce Cullinan be arriving?
“Cullinan will be arriving in Philippines in the first quarter of 2019,” Tee Tan said. “We cannot comment on buyers so far, but we can say we have received a very positive response from initial sentiments.”
