The move towards a cashless society has been accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic, and now, more than, ever, we’re paying for goods with a tap of our cards – or our smartphones.
From petrol to pints of beer, many of us are increasingly using our smartphones to pay for goods at contactless terminals, and ordering goods online via eBay and Amazon phone apps.
But buying entire cars on your phone? That’s what’s happening in China, and we’re not just talking about humble family cars, but £500k+ Rolls Royce Phantoms.
A source close to Rolls-Royce told us it recently sold several very special cars via China’s WeChat app. Best described as a cross between Whatsapp, Instagram and Paypal, WeChat is mostly used for sending and receiving messages, much like the messaging apps we’re familiar with in the West.
Be WeChat users can also use the app to purchase goods, from renting a bike to get around Shanghai or ordering food. Or buying a one-of-20 Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus limousine.
Unveiled at the Shanghai Auto show last month, the Tempus is a Phantom limo modified on the theme of time and space. The Phantom’s famous night-sky headliner was reworked with hand-laid fibre-optic lighting and the dashboard features 100 individually contoured columns milled from a single piece of aluminium billet.
Rolls Royce doesn’t communicate prices for its limited edition cars to anyone not deemed rich enough to afford one, but given that a standard long-wheelbase Phantom will set you back £435,600, it’s not unreasonable to presume the Tempus cost upwards of £700,000.
And yes, some Chinese buyers really did agree to spend that much via their phones. Rolls Royce communicated the release of the Tempus to its top Chinese customers using the WeChat app, and according to a source close to the factory ‘several’ of those customers bought one on the spot.
Keyword: Rolls-Royce Customers In China Are Buying Phantoms With Their Smartphones