The chief executive of Rolls-Royce says the car manufacturer will blacklist buyers who flip the long-awaited Spectre for a profit.
Torsten Müller-Ötvös recently spoke with members of the media at the launch of the first-ever electric Rolls-Royce in California and revealed that those wanting to buy a Spectre first need to qualify for the car and then may be lucky enough to get an order slot. If customers then choose to flip the car, they can kiss goodbye to purchasing a car directly from Rolls-Royce ever again.
“I can tell you we are really sanitizing the need to prove who you are, what you want to do with the car – you need to qualify for a car and then you might get a slot for an order,” Müller-Ötvös said. “[If they sell the car on] they’re going immediately on a blacklist and this is it – you will never ever have the chance to acquire again.”
Read: The Rolls-Royce Spectre Is Bound To Be A Strong Seller In China
Rolls-Royce is expected to start deliveries of the Spectre in the fourth quarter of 2023. It is proving to be extremely popular and the brand’s CEO has said there could be a need to increase production. Of those to have ordered a Spectre, some 40% are new buyers of the brand.
Despite the threat of owners being blacklisted, hugely successful British car dealer Tom Hartley told Car Dealer Magazine that he has already arranged to buy two Spectres from owners, each with a £50,000 ($64,000) premium.
“Money talks and manufacturers will never stop successful entrepreneurs, businessmen and aristocrats from selling their cars,” he said. “I have already agreed to buy two Spectres from customers. I do not think it is fair for carmakers to tell customers who have spent close to half a million pounds on a car what they can do with it. It’s not right. People’s circumstances change, they could have a genuine reason for the sale such as financial problems.”
