Rolls Royce shows first baby pics

And, for them, it will be a relative bargain with a price tag of around $500,000

A cut-priced Rolls-Royce sounds like a contradiction, but the all-new RR4 - with a final name still to be revealed - will be less than half the price of today's Phantom limousine.

The British brand has just revealed the first sketches of its new 'baby', but they reveal very little beyond the basic outline.

What is already known is that RR4 will be smaller than a Phantom but larger than a BMW 7-Series, which could be the donor vehicle for at least some of the car's components. After all, BMW Group does own Rolls-Royce.

However a company spokesman says the majority of components will be uniquely Roller.

“There is a sizeable amount of hand-built components along with a high level of individual skill required to build this new series,” says Rolls-Royce Asia Pacific corporate communications manager Hal Serudin

“Also, unlike other brands, a vast majority of the componentry along with all significant parts – engine, chassis, wheels etc, will be unique to Rolls-Royce.

“Although this car will be lower in price than a Phantom, it will be still one of the most exclusive cars available.”

The car will have a new engine, expected to be a V8, a move confirmed earlier this year by outgoing RR chairman Ian Robertson.

The sketches of RR4 come just a month before Rolls-Royce goes public with its third model, the Phantom Coupe. It follows the original four-door limousine and the Drophead Coupe, which has been a sell-out for close to a year despite a $1.2 million pricetag.