If Ferrari is the benchmark for supercars, then Rolls-Royce is the ultimate symbol of luxury automobiles—and that didn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of years of careful brand-building and, perhaps more importantly, remarkable consistency. Even as technology has changed and competition from China has grown, Rolls-Royce has managed to maintain its position at the very top of the market.
BMW’s acquisition of Rolls-Royce in 2003 only strengthened that position, giving the British marque access to the resources of one of the world’s largest automakers. Bentley took a different path. Five years earlier, in 1998, Volkswagen Group acquired Rolls-Royce’s former partner, giving Bentley the resources to become a truly global luxury automaker in its own right.
