The venerable old lady of British car manufacturing, Rolls-Royce, is developing a loyal following in Asia, and many of its new customers are humble enough to drive without a chauffeur.
Rolls-Royce revealed a convertible car, the Phantom Drophead Coupe, at this week's North American International Auto Show - its first new model for four years.
Made in Goodwood, Sussex, the car costs $408,000 (£210,000). It has wood and brushed steel fittings, a distinctive curved nose and a radiator grill described as "rakish". It is intended to be a more "informal" offering to attract younger buyers.
Rolls-Royce's chairman, Ian Robertson, said the soft-top was a natural successor to models such as the Silver Ghost, the Silver Cloud and the Corniche: "If we look at our history, Rolls-Royce has always had very notable convertibles."
Since being taken over by BMW, Rolls-Royce has renewed its factory and its workforce. It sold 805 cars last year - the most for 16 years - and the number of dealerships has grown from 60 to 80.
The US is Rolls-Royce's biggest market. But Mr Robertson said that the firm's biggest-selling showroom, Beverley Hills in California, had been caught up by Tokyo. Behind them ranks London, followed by Dubai and New York. "We're experiencing very strong growth in Asia," said Mr Robertson. "Our sales in China are up by 60%."
He said the average age of Rolls-Royce owners had dropped by 10 years and added that recent purchasers were "more often than not owner-drivers".
The Drophead Coupe boasts a boot capable of carrying three sets of golf clubs and a camera under the numberplate with a dashboard monitor to help with parking. With 12 cylinders, a top speed of 149mph and a weight of 2.6 tonnes, it is something of an anomaly at this year's Detroit show, which is dominated by discussion of fuel economy, environmentally friendly vehicles and the US's shift from gas-guzzling trucks to smaller cars.
A Rolls-Royce spokesman, Bob Austin, told the Guardian a "hybrid" Rolls-Royce combining petrol and an alternative fuel such as hydrogen was a long-term possibility because the vehicles were based on the same structure as hydrogen-powered vehicles in the BMW 7-series. "We are looking at what we need to do in terms of the environment," he said, but added that such ideas were still on the drawing board.
He said Rolls-Royce had introduced recycling, a vegetation-covered roof and other green features, although he maintained that the company's pollution footprint was limited: "We only produce 800 cars a year. If you were to remove all the Rolls-Royce cars from the roads, it wouldn't make a big difference to the environment."
Commentators gave the new car a positive reception. Gary Vasilach, editor-in-chief of the US magazine Automotive Design & Production, said: "Rolls-Royce still resonates very well in America - they'll never go away. Where do they sell? In the sunshine of Beverley Hills, so an open-top certainly makes sense."
The company is also working on a smaller car, which it intends to price at between $230,000 and $330,000.
