Luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce, a unit of Germany’s BMW , has revealed that its sales soared 49% to a record high in 2021 despite the global coronavirus pandemic, as demand worldwide for luxury vehicles surged.
In an online presentation on Monday, Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös said the carmaker sold 5,586 vehicles to customers in more than 50 countries, the largest number in its 117-year history despite all the volatility wrought by the pandemic.
“In the luxury sector as a whole, the struggle was not so much focused on attempting to find customers, but rather producing enough product to satisfy huge customer demand,” he said.
According to Müller-Ötvös, growth has been driven principally by Ghost, with demand surging further, following the launch of Black Badge Ghost in October 2021.
He explained: “This, together with the continuing pre-eminence of Cullinan and the marque’s pinnacle product, Phantom, has ensured order books are full well into the third quarter of 2022. The company’s Provenance (pre-owned) programme also enjoyed exceptional sales results in 2021, achieving an all-time record.”
Bespoke commissions remain at record levels, with magnificent individual examples including the spectacular Phantom Oribe co-created with Hermès, alongside the Phantom Tempus, and Black Badge Wraith and Black Badge Dawn Landspeed Collection cars. The company signalled its commitment to leading a new contemporary coachbuilding movement with Rolls‑Royce Coachbuild becoming a permanent fixture in its future portfolio and with it the unveiling of its latest coachbuilt masterpiece, Boat Tail.
Rolls-Royce also announced its first all-electric car, Spectre, in 2021. The extraordinary undertaking of bringing Spectre to market by the fourth quarter of 2023 has now begun, and the most punishing testing protocol ever conceived for a Rolls‑Royce is underway. This 2.5‑million-kilometre journey, which extends to all four corners of the world, will simulate more than 400 years of use for a Rolls‑Royce.
While preparations are made for the marque’s all-electric future, Rolls-Royce continues to meet the surge in demand for its current portfolio through a flexible manufacturing process and the dedication of the over 2,000 people who work at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex and around the world.
He said the carmaker’s British plant in Goodwood was running at close to maximum capacity and its order books were full well into the third quarter of 2022, adding that Rolls-Royce will continue to invest in its manufacturing plant in readiness for electrification, and in future talent, with a record 37 new apprentices set to join the company in September 2022.
Reflecting on the results, CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös said, “This has been a truly historic year for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. In the past 12 months, we have recorded our highest-ever annual sales, launched the latest addition to our Black Badge family, stunned the world with our coachbuilding capabilities and made huge strides into our all-electric future.
As always, it has been made possible by the dedication and commitment of the extraordinary people at the Home of Rolls-Royce, our international team and our global dealer network. I wish to extend my thanks and congratulations to each and every one of them: it is my privilege and pleasure to work alongside them every day.”
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