I was meditating tonight and I came up with a great idea 1/2 hour in.

Now, obviously, Rolls-Royce is having trouble selling cars. I bet they only sell a few thousand a year. This pales in comparison to better companies like Honda (they sell hundreds of thousands of Accords each year). If Rolls doesn't pick up the pace, BMW will have no choice but to can that division!

Unless...


Rolls had a new car that would be much more affordable and attract younger buyers. But, the problem is that for most companies, it costs a lot to design a whole new platform. You follow?

But, fortunately, Rolls's parent company BMW also owns Mini.

Yes, I'm proposing that Rolls-Royce produce their own version of the Mini. Now, before you say "Andrewsky...you crazy!" hear me out; their version would be totally different than the regular Mini for five reasons:

1. It would come standard with an automatic.
2. It would have a Phantom-esque grille.
3. It would start at $40,000 (which is reasonable because the Phantom is like 8-9 times more).
4. It would have wool carpeting (I like Minis a lot, but if they're missing something it's definitely wool carpeting).
5. It would have a rear-seat DVD system embedded in the front headrests.

I'm really excited about this new idea of mine. I would appreciate it if someone could use photoshop to put a Phantom grille on a Mini.

Hopefully, BMW will smarten up and make this happen by 2009 (so it's available when I'm looking for a new car).

So, is this

a) A really great idea

OR

b) The greatest idea ever

?

 

Andrewsky....you crazy!

 

You just don't know a good idea when you see one.

This platform sharing can work. Look at GM. They pioneered platform sharing and they're doing great!

Biggest automaker in the world!

 

GM doing great????????????

Andrewsky, you're f*&%^&g nuts!

 

Funniest joke I've read in the last hour.

 

Rolls Royce is Rolls Royce. They are supposed to be sold in very limited numbers. I find it very unfortunate that BMW bought them and I truly hope they never turn them into dime-a-dozen crap to sell more cars.

 

Andrewsky....you crazy!

Plus youre on the wrong forum to talk about coming standard with an automatic.....

 

Fuggedaboutit Andrewsky,

VW already beat you to the punch some 30 years ago.

 

i think it is the best idea ever. except for the dvd in the headrest. sitting that close to a screen could damage your eyes

 

next time, keep your yoga instructor near you.

 

It is c) none of the above

 

I think that rolls would need to put themselves in the 90-110k range with, perhaps, a smaller convertible or a coupe. this doesn't mean a sports car... rolls isn't about racing or speed and it surely isn't about high numbers and low price. rolls royce is about luxury and exclusivity. if they came out with a more affordable sedan that would lend itself to being owner-driven they would have a lot of people interested. also, I don't see rolls being phased out any time soon. what bmw should do is combine assembly of the phantom with a higher end bimmer. that would make enough revenue out of that production line to take some of the strain from rolls away.

to paraphrase, the mini/rolls is a ridiculous idea.

 

I think it is a great idea! A lot of car for a little money! If they have something like this is 2009, I would be interested.

 

Worst idea ever! GM is not doing great either! What makes GM crap is that they share the same car between all the brands. Borrow here and there and you only have 4 cars for 8 brands. This make everything you build look the same.

BMW will never do it.

 

That's not one of the choices. You have to pick a or b.

If you want to pick 'c' or whatever, start your own Mini-Rolls thread.

 

.

 

.

 

Yes! Finally someone who thinks like me!

You're right, it would be a lot of car for the money.

You get a new grille, a rear-seat entertainment system (I don't think any other company offers this in a three-door hatchback), and wool carpeting for only $20,000 more than a regular old plain-Jane Mini.

 

I think it's an interesting topic, Andrewsky. RR is all about limited edition luxo cars. It would be fascinating to see some super-upscale MINIs built. I hope some of our talented computer graphic artists on NAM can come up with some concepts for this discussion.

Everyone, let's keep the discussion lively, but friendly.

 

I think someone beat them to it...
http://www.bmwworld.com/models/mini/limousine.htm

 

JCW could sell a craptastic carpet.....

Matt

 

I can see it now, some snob, crammed into the back seat of this 'MINI-Rolls' trying to enjoy his Grey Poupon as his driver is tearing up the twisties on the way to the country club.

 

I don't think you're qualified to make that assumption considering you're not a doctor.

Let the good people from Rolls-Royce and Mini work together to find out if the entertainment system is a great idea or a really great idea.

 

The Dragon Country Club, baby!

 

"Great or really great!" You ought to be in the PR/Spin biz, Andrewsky.....very clever.