If Rolls is sold to another major manufacturer, BMW warned, the delivery of those engines might stop. To counter the threat, VW made a bid for Cosworth, a high quality British engine maker which already produces some engines for Rolls-Royce and would be capable of filling the void should BMW back out of its contract. Rolls Royce fits neatly into VW's long-range planning. VW chairman Ferdinand Piech has taken its Audi group upmarket with the introduction of its A8 model and has recently entered into an agreement with Porsche to build a new sports utility vehicle. With the purchase of Rolls, Piech now has a car at the top of the market that can do battle with the Mercedes S-Class.
Some experts wonder.
The Asian market has softened so that even in Hong Kong, with more Rolls per capita than anywhere else in the world, peddling the newly released Silver Seraph can be something of a trial. But VW's Piech is nothing if not a shrewd marketer. VW recently introduced a new version of the Beetle for which demand is already outstripping supply.