ROLLS-ROYCE is studying a possible expansion of its dealer network into Adelaide and Canberra as the hallowed British car-maker looks to increase its sales and customer base with new models such as the Cullinan SUV.

The super-luxury brand has just moved its Queensland retail operations from the Gold Coast to Brisbane with LMM Holdings – a subsidiary of Malaysian multinational Sime Darby – and is represented in Sydney by Trivett Bespoke (part of Inchcape Australia), in Melbourne with Zagame Automotive and in Perth with Barbagallo Motors.

It runs a service facility in Adelaide through Zagame Automotive, and Rolls-Royce Asia-Pacific regional director Paul Harris has told GoAutoNews Premium that there was now an opportunity to consider a showroom in the South Australian capital.

Asked if there was any move to set up a fully fledged dealership in Adelaide, Mr Harris said: “Potentially, yes.

“It depends on how we see that marketplace evolving. We’ve said in the past that if it works with the right person, or right group of people, we will probably consider it.

“And at the moment, with Cullinan coming on board and making a big change in the type of people we are seeing, and the demand that exists in and around Australia, I think there is an opportunity to review where we are and what else we could do.

“But a permanent facility? I’m not sure. But definitely more activity there as well, and possibly Canberra as well from the point of view of more activity.”

Mr Harris said he had spoken to several Rolls-Royce owners recently with colleagues and friends in Canberra who were potential new customers, which could lead to the company testing the ACT market with special events.

“Until we’ve done that type of arrangement (events/research) we can’t really say one way or the other as it stands at the moment,” he said.

“The business has got to be viable and the business has got to be independent, and it’s got to really drive our business forward.

“But Australia is just so huge, the travelling distances between places, it makes it a bit more likely that we would expand our footprint a bit more just to increase our levels of customer satisfaction, because we don’t want customers to be too inconvenienced by having too far to drive.

“Adelaide, we’re already present in so if anything we’re more likely to look seriously at that market first, and then just test Canberra from the point of view of how we do activity and things like that.

“I wouldn’t put a timeframe on it, but I would think that if it was going to happen and we were going to make that commercial decision, it would be in the medium term, not short term but medium term … and medium term in business these days is probably two years, in the next two years,” Mr Harris said.

By Terry Martin