Rolls-Royce Motor Cars delivers historic record result in 2019

Commenting on the results, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said: “This performance is of an altogether different magnitude to any previous year’s sales success. While we celebrate these remarkable results we are conscious of our key promise to our customers, to keep our brand rare and exclusive. We are pleased and proud to have delivered growth of 25% in 2019. Worldwide demand last year for our Cullinan SUV has driven this success and is expected to stabilise in 2020. It is a ringing testament to the quality and integrity of our products, the faith and passion of our customers and, above all, the skill, dedication and determination of our exceptional team at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood and around the world and our dedicated global dealer network.”

Worldwide Sales Growth

Sales grew across all regions during the year, driven by strong customer demand for all Rolls‑Royce models. The company reported significant sales growth in every one of its key global markets. North America retained top status (around a third of global sales) followed by China and Europe (including UK). Individual countries that achieved record sales results included Russia, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Qatar and Korea.

Strong Demand For All Models

Phantom retains its rightful place as the company’s pinnacle product, with Dawn and Wraith continuing to dominate their respective sectors; strong demand was experienced for all three models during the year.

In its first full year of availability, Cullinan exceeded even the highest expectations raised by its successful launch. The world’s pre-eminent super-luxury SUV has become the fastest-selling new Rolls-Royce model in history.

In November 2019, the marque completed its dark, edgy Black Badge family with the addition of Cullinan Black Badge alongside Ghost, Dawn and Wraith variants, all of which were highly sought-after by customers seeking a more individual, rebellious expression of the Rolls‑Royce brand.

 Farewell to Ghost – But Not for Long!

2019 marked the end of Ghost production. Over its 11-year lifecycle – a truly remarkable record for any motor car – it became the biggest-selling Rolls-Royce not just of the Goodwood era, but in the entire history of the marque. The commercial success of Ghost placed Rolls-Royce in a position to scale up its production and make the massive investments that have led to it becoming the truly global brand it is today.

Ghost’s successor is due for launch in mid-2020 after five years in development. With market availability from the fourth quarter, the successor will elevate the Ghost name, and the company itself, to new heights of excellence and ambition in design, engineering, materials and driving dynamics.

 Bespoke: The Jewel in the Crown of Rolls-Royce

Global demand for Rolls-Royce Bespoke reached a new peak in 2019. The Bespoke Collective at The Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex, comprises several hundred creative designers, engineers and craftspeople. These highly talented men and women take enormous pride in fulfilling unprecedented levels of customer requests for Bespoke personalisation and delivering on beautiful individual commissions such as the Rose Phantom. Undisputed global leaders in their pursuit of perfection, the Bespoke Collective captured the imagination of customers, enthusiasts, media and fans alike in 2019 with some of the most spectacular Collection Cars ever created in the history of the brand. Bespoke IS Rolls-Royce!

Among the year’s Bespoke highlights was the Zenith Collector’s Edition of Rolls-Royce Ghost. Limited to just 50 examples, this masterpiece was created to mark the end of Ghost’s remarkable 11-year reign.

Wraith Eagle VIII celebrated the centenary of Alcock and Brown’s first non-stop transatlantic flight (powered by twin Rolls-Royce Eagle engines). Tranquillity Phantom, inspired by space exploration, features a unique Gallery inspired by the X-Ray coded aperture masks used on the British Skylark space rocket and, for the first time in a Rolls-Royce, incorporates meteorite as an aesthetic embellishment.

New accessories added to the existing, much celebrated Bespoke offering included the exceptional Rolls-Royce Champagne Chest.

 

Confidence in the future

At more than 2,000 strong, with 50 nationalities represented, the workforce at the Home of Rolls-Royce is now at its largest since the opening of Rolls-Royce’s Global Centre for Luxury Manufacturing Excellence, in 2003.

The year saw significant new investment in the manufacturing plant at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, reaffirming both the company’s commitment to its UK operations and its buoyant outlook for the years ahead.

In closing, Mr Müller-Ötvös said, “There is no other company like Rolls-Royce Motor Cars: we are all conscious of what a privilege it is to design, build and deliver the best car in the world for our customers.  PersonalIy, I continue to feel honoured and humbled to have led this great company for the past decade.”