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News of  August 29, 2001

BMW Group Starts Building the New Rolls-Royce Facilities

New Rolls-Royce Plant

Photo: BMW

(Munich/Chichester.) - The final go ahead has been given by all relevant authorities to the proposed new Manufacturing Plant and Head Office for Rolls-Royce automobiles at Goodwood, home of The Earl of March, near Chichester, West Sussex. A new Rolls-Royce model will be manufactured at the plant from 2003 onwards.

Says Karl-Heinz Kalbfell, Senior Vice President BMW Group Marketing and Director of the Rolls-Royce Project: "We made very good progress in bringing into realisation what is probably the most unique project in car manufacturing worldwide. Our goal is to lead this most prestigious of all car brands into a prosperous and profitable future as an independent company within the BMW Group from the year 2003. The new enterprise will have access to all resources of the BMW Group. It will continue to produce in England authentic Rolls-Royce automobiles with a modern interpretation of all its traditional values."

Earth moving work has started as part of the first phase of construction of the new facility. Designed by one of Britain´s top architects, Nicolas Grimshaw & Partners of London, who have received awards for examples of 'green architecture', the entire building complex will partly be sunk into the ground. The roof area will be covered in living plants, thus blending perfectly with the countryside of Goodwood.

BMW acquired the rights to the Rolls-Royce brand for automotive business from its owner Rolls-Royce plc in 1998 and will take over full responsibility, including production and distribution, in 2003. In conjunction with setting up an independent worldwide distribution network appropriate locations for dealerships have been identified; preliminary agreements have already been signed.

Equally, the development of the all new Rolls-Royce sedan is at a very advanced stage: prototypes were subjected to extensive winter testing in northern Scandinavia last winter and are currently undergoing further testing under extremely hot climate conditions.

(August 24, 2001)

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