Rolls Royce 200EX is here to whip Bentley's arse - Or is it?

Rolls Royce had pulled the curtains apart revealing the much scooped RR4 Prototype. Dubbed 200EX, the new baby Rolls Royce is for the very first time in Rolls Royce's history a smaller, driver centric Roller that's aiming squarely at the likes of Bentley Arnage. For years, Rolls Royce has always been regarded as the utmost epitome of automotive excellence, an icon that resembles those who not only had arrived in life, but to arrive in such style and elegance.

However, there is a problem here, where BMW had realize the very moment they bought Rolls Royce, and Bentley went along with Volkswagen, achieving sales figures that Rolls Royce could only hope for - Of course price is one issue to be considered here, but can one say the likes of Paris Hilton, Christiano Ronaldo can't afford a Rolls Royce?

The real problem here, is that anyone, regardless how flawless they look or how wealthy they are, will look like a chauffeur behind the wheels of a Rolls Royce Phantom. For years, BMW has been capitalizing on the very marketing objective they've injected into the entire industry - Is to sell Ultimate Driving Machines which in other words, the true enjoyment of owning a car, lies on the thrill you get whilst driving it.

Now imagine this scenario, a true BMW loyalist that had upgraded all his way from 3 Series, to 5 and subsequently to 7 Series, and being a true BMW advocate, he never likes being chauffeured around, so what's his next purchase after the 7-Series? Unfortunately for BMW, its a Bentley.

This is why BMW needs to expand Rolls Royce's lineup to cater to this market, and definitely a growing one. The Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe and Drophead is the first step, but nonetheless, they're still 2 door Gran Turismos, never as comfortable as a 7-Series, and alighting from the rear seats of the Phantom Coupe for Hollywood actresses would only make them add up to the post count for Gutterpost.

All this meant that Rolls Royce need a four door luxury sedan that caters to this group, grabbing back valuable market share that for all these years, Bentley had them to its own.

The new Rolls Royce 200EX (This wouldn't be its final name), is noticeably smaller than the gigantic Rolls Royce Phantom. With a wheelbase of 5399mm, its a whole 435mm shorter than the Phantom, 48mm narrower at 1948mm and a wheelbase 275mm shorter at 3295mm, it should be a lot more lighter, but equipped with a V12 engine as well, there's more grunt to the pound (supposedly) than the Phantom.

So will this entire package convince the likes of Paris or Ronaldo going after them? Hopefully, but unlikely, as from what I see here, it looks almost identical to the Phantom for the untrained eye, the interior's still shouts Queen Elizabeth more than Lady GaGa - Which means its still not very cool for anyone seen behind the wheel, and if there's anyone here who wants to argue that maybe its for people who can't afford the Phantom. - Well if Rolls Royce is aftering such customers, then they're in trouble, or even if they do, these customers might not afford the repayment after their hedge fund goes belly up. Thus if you wouldn't look good driving it yourself, you might as well sit behind being chauffeured right? And if you're gonna get fetch around, you might as well go for a Rolls Royce Phantom right?