We sat down with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Bangkok GM Krisda Sawamiphakdi to talk about the future of the brand, going electric and why 2023 will be a milestone year for the ultra-luxury brand.
It is official. Rolls-Royce’s first all-electric car is expected to hit the market in late 2023. However, this would not be the case New News for the always-up-to-date Rolls-Royce fan, it’s undeniably exciting nonetheless. The namesake of the latest models, aptly titled ‘Spectre’, refers to the ephemeral, almost wondrous phenomena that are beyond our world – a fitting title for the next era of Rolls-Royce.
As we prepare for a new era for the brand, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Krisda Sawamiphakdi, General Manager of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Bangkok. With over 20 years experience in the capital markets, it has been over 3 years since UK educated Krisda took the reins at Rolls-Royce Bangkok where he now heads one of the many business units under the MGC Asia umbrella. Always charismatic, kind and a true visionary, Krisda shared his views on the future of Rolls-Royce and the dawn of the world’s first truly ultra-luxury electric vehicle.
Rolls-Royce doesn’t chase volume – Rolls-Royce strives for it perfection
“We sell luxury and deliver customer experiences. We don’t just sell cars,” says Krisda, explaining that every Rolls-Royce is designed to appeal to all five senses, right down to the air you breathe. “Everything is thought out so that when you open the door, not a drop of rain falls on you. When you get into a Rolls-Royce, you breathe the cleanest air of any car.”
“Our cars are designed to be your private sanctuary, whether driven or self-drive. The Phantom, for example, is our flagship product. It’s the quietest, most luxurious and arguably the best car in the world.” He goes on to say that the Rolls-Royce New Ghost took five years to prepare and is the result of interviews with existing Ghost and Rolls-Royce owners from around the world was. “We asked them what they wanted for the New Ghost to make it even more luxurious. We’ve upgraded our technology to make our cars quieter and smoother, like driving over clouds. It’s known as the magic carpet ride, it’s what our customers wanted and it’s only available here at Rolls-Royce.”
The future of Rolls-Royce is electric
“For Rolls-Royce, electric cars are coming and they’re here to stay,” says Krisda, “the Specter is just the first of other models that will inevitably follow.” He goes on to explain that the move is a combination of two things. “Legal requirements come first. By 2030, all new cars sold in Europe must be electric. The step is also to answer the call of our increasingly younger clientele asking – who are want – an electrified Rolls-Royce.”
Krisda explains why the brand decided to make the leap from internal combustion engines to all-electric engines, skipping the idea of a temporary hybrid model entirely. Krisda explains that this is due to the Rolls-Royce philosophy. “What Rolls-Royce will never do is rename an existing model,” he says simply. “For example, we will never take the engine out of an existing model and just put a load of batteries in the bottom.”
Every single Rolls-Royce model has been carefully designed to meet the very specific needs of its target segment, and Rolls-Royce’s first ultra-luxury EV would be no different. “We are already taking pre-orders for customers who know Rolls-Royce or who want their car early. We hope to have some cars in our showroom by Q4 2023. Of course, preparations must be made first. We must be an EV certified dealer who can sell electric vehicles. We need certified technicians who can service these vehicles, and the dealership needs to be stocked with chargers and other necessary facilities.”
From blazing deserts to the Arctic Circle, Specter will have seen it all
“I won’t mention the specs because I’m not the designer and that information wasn’t disclosed,” Krisda admits with a good-natured smile, “but here’s how the Spectre’s designer put it. It will be the world’s most luxurious electric vehicle. She’ll feel comfortable, she’ll look and feel every inch a Rolls-Royce, with performance to match.”
Krisda goes on to say that Rolls-Royce takes planning, research and ultimately testing very seriously. “We are the only car manufacturer that produces over 90% handcrafted cars that are built in just one location in the world, which is Goodwood in West Sussex, England.” Indeed, in early May, Krisda was lucky enough to be one of the first 300 people worldwide to see the Specter at Goodwood, home of Rolls-Royce. “It was at our annual world dealer conference,” he tells us, “there’s only one Specter out there at the moment, and it’s been pulled from its global testing for us to see. The Specter has to travel 2.5 million miles around the world in all conditions, and it came to us at -40 degrees Celsius from the Arctic Circle.”
According to Krisda, this mileage is equivalent to 400 years of average Rolls-Royce use. “You learn more when you test in monsoon rains, in the desert or in different terrains. Every tweak and adjustment that needs to be made isn’t overlooked, so it’s nothing short of perfect at launch. That’s how we do it.”
The launch of every new Rolls-Royce model has been a success, and so has The Spectre
“Each model has its place in the range and that is why Rolls-Royce has never had a failed start with any new model in its history. When we launched the Cullinan, named after the world’s largest diamond, we knew we had to be in the SUV space as the demand for SUVs would only continue to grow and that demand is still growing today. The All New Ghost 2020 has been our most successful model to date and I am 100% confident The Specter will eclipse that.”
Krisda’s confidence is completely understandable. As a two-door coupe, The Specter is likely to appeal to both current Rolls-Royce owners and a target segment of the young and successful. “It’s specifically designed to meet the needs of their driving habits, usage patterns and lifestyle.”
Rolls-Royce is the pinnacle of luxury
Each Rolls-Royce car has been carefully designed to meet the very specific needs of each individual customer, taking bespoke service and personalization to a new level. “You can choose from 44,000 colors,” shares Krisda. If we’re wondering why, he follows up with an intriguing tidbit of information. “That’s because that’s the full spectrum of colors that the eyes can see. Anything over 44,000 colors, which I think is perfectly adequate, the eyes can no longer distinguish.”
Of course, Rolls-Royce offers discerning customers who just want to do things their way the opportunity to create a whole new bespoke colour. With Rolls-Royce, the possibilities are endless. “For example, a client achieved success quarrying granite and asked Goodwood to turn the first piece of granite they ever unearthed into a bespoke watch.” Krisda continued. “Let’s say, for example, you were born on January 1, 1980. We can capture the star constellation over Bangkok at this precise moment and reproduce it for you in your car using thousands of hand-sewn fiber optic cables under the canvas. One of our signature options. Our bespoke services are unrivaled by any other automaker in the world.”
You will become a Rolls Royce owner when you are ready
One interesting thing we learn from Krisda is that Rolls-Royce’s clientele is constantly evolving. “There is a change,” he explains, “buyers of our cars are getting younger and are demanding more personalization, more individuality. Our customers are entrepreneurs who are successful earlier. We have a large number of young, wealthy entrepreneurs who are not afraid to own a Rolls-Royce from a young age. We are also seeing more female owners. You become a Rolls-Royce owner when you are ready, regardless of age and gender.”
Post Covid-19, now more than ever is the time to live your life
Interestingly, the pandemic hasn’t hampered Rolls-Royce. Rather, Krisda tells us that 2021 was the brand’s most successful year in its 118-year history, with 5586 cars delivered worldwide. “Some high-end automakers and luxury brands have all had pretty good years. I think what Covid-19 has taught us is: Live your life, don’t hesitate. You deserve it, so why wait.”
As the pandemic grows endemic, the enigmatic general manager believes people will only travel more and be willing to treat themselves. “You have to erase that perception you might have had that you have to wait until you’re 50 to own a Rolls-Royce. No, the pandemic has taught us to live our lives. You’re not ready for something when you reach a certain age – you will knows When you’re ready.”
To learn more about the Rolls-Royce Specter, visit rolls-roycemotorcars.com.
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