Rolls-Royce debuts Privacy Suite and Cullinan Black Badge

Chauffeurs have been handed a lifeline by Rolls-Royce, which focusses on back-seat business with its new $1.6 million Australian flagship.

The long-wheelbase Rolls-Royce Phantom was already a giant among luxury cars but now it has been turned into a mobile office, or consulting room or play space, for owners who rarely take the wheel.

The official name for the newcomer is the Phantom Extended Wheelbase with Privacy Suite and Rolls-Royce expects around a third of buys to go for the new package. It could even be higher in Australia.

It is an old-school limousine where the back seat can be totally separated from the driving compartment, right down to frosted privacy glass and complete soundproofing.

There are also black-out screens for the side and rear glass, allowing covert meetings or a mobile movie theatre, as well as an intercom system and a ‘letterbox’ to pass notes from the passengers to the chauffeur.

“It’s a unique space. The whole Privacy Suite is the pinnacle of a business environment,” the Asia-Pacific regional director for Rolls-Royce, Paul Harris, tells carsales.

“The intention is to provide the ultimate office on the move. We expect most cars will be chauffeured, although it is still such a lovely car to drive.”

Rolls-Royce is expecting to sell less than a dozen long-wheelbase Phantoms in Australia this year, although Harris says the car still occupies a unique niche.

He predicts a growing demand for the new package, even though it takes the price beyond $1.6 million without any of the bespoke work that is chosen by most owners.

“We think that about 10 per cent of long-wheelbase cars will have that element, maybe more in Asia and up to 20 per cent,” he says.

“If you’re going to have a Phantom then it’s a luxury to be driven. We have a couple of orders for the car in Australia. Since we’ve been touring the car people have realised the capability.”

The Privacy Suite was revealed alongside the Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge, both of which made their Australian debuts at a new showroom in Brisbane yesterday.

Orders for the sportier version of the Cullinan, which has a range of changes including different suspension and steering settings as well as bigger wheels and the signature black-painted Spirit of Ecstasy, have already created a significant backlog in Australia for the $925,000 newcomer.

“We expect it will account for 30 to 40 per cent of Cullinan sales in Australia. Maybe even higher,” says Harris.

“There is an appeal for that type of sportier, alter-ego Rolls-Royce that we weren’t able to satisfy before. We have orders for the July build, so deliveries will be at the end of next year with Christmas 2020 for new orders.”

He says the Cullinan has helped Rolls-Royce cut the age of its owners by more than a decade in only eight years, as well as bringing new converts.

“If a Cullinan is delivered to a new customer they will often come back for another car,” said Harris, adding that Rolls-Royce still has a traditional following, which is why it still runs its Chauffeur School for some owners.

“It’s very much on request. But we have a studio and driving experience in Korea, right next to the airport, which we call the ‘White Gloves Experience’. We start with expectations of owners and what the passengers want,” says Harris.