British luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce opened a boutique showroom in Seoul on Wednesday -- its first anywhere in the world -- pledging to provide “ultimate quality control” for the luxury cars by complying with the amended Automobile Management Act, also known as South Korea’s “lemon law.”
“It is our responsibility as a pinnacle luxury brand to reassure our South Korean customers that we would stand by our promise of ultimate quality, ultimate quality control, and of course attention to detail,” said Torsten Muller-Otvos, chief executive officer of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, at a media session held in Seoul.
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Torsten Muller-Otvos, chief executive officer of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, poses with Silver Ghost at its showroom in Seoul, on Wednesday. (Rolls-Royce) |
The act, which took effect in January, sets forth detailed guidelines for refunds and exchanges of defective cars but does not impose any legal obligations on manufacturers or dealers.
Rolls-Royce will follow the guidelines for all cars sold since Jan. 1, the company said.
The CEO of the Goodwood-based carmaker was in Seoul for the opening of the new showroom.
The concept behind it -- offering customers a “tailor-made experience” -- will be applied to the carmaker’s branches in 130 countries around the world within the next year or two.
Calling Seoul one of the world’s most vibrant cities and saying it has a well-established environment for luxury goods, Muller-Otvos stressed the importance of the Korean market for the British carmaker considering the pace of its growth. Korea might soon overtake Japan in terms of the size of its market, he added.
Currently, Korea trails right behind Japan as the world’s seventh-largest market.
In 2018, Rolls-Royce sold 123 cars in Korea, an increase of 86 cars or 43 percent from a year earlier.
“Last year, the South Korean market grew at one of the fastest rates worldwide for us, and this landmark occasion reflects not only Rolls-Royce’s position as the leading luxury house in the business of cars, but also Seoul’s position as a leader in the global luxury arena,” he said.
The British carmaker began selling its vehicles in Korea 15 years ago through dealership networks including Kolon Motors.
Its current lineup includes the Phantom, Ghost, Wraith, Dawn and Cullinan.
By Cho Chung-un (
christory@heraldcorp.com)
