Rolls-Royce car sales hit a 119-year record as US drives demand

Rolls-Royce sold a record number of cars last year, driven by demand in the US — its biggest market.

The UK-based carmaker sold 6,021 cars, an 8 per cent rise on 2021 — and the highest annual figure in its 119-year history.

The company expects to deliver record profits when it discloses financial figures in the coming weeks.

About a third of its sales are in the Americas, while a quarter are in China and a fifth in Europe. Sales in China fell slightly because of lockdowns and the government’s zero-Covid-19 policy.

The overall sales boost was helped by customisation, which also rose to highs as luxury car buyers fitted out their models with “ever more imaginative” add-ons.

The bespoke features, from the type of carpet inside a vehicle to personalised paintwork, helped raise the price of an average Rolls-Royce car above €500,000 for the first time.

The record profits and deliveries during the year came despite a “quite substantial” hit after stopping orders to Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, the BMW-owned company said on Monday.

The carmaker prides itself on allowing customers to customise almost every part of the vehicle.

The lights above the rear seats can be made into star constellations, while the boot of its Cullinan sport utility vehicle can be adapted to hold racing drones.

Every car leaving its factory at Goodwood in Sussex had a bespoke element during the year.

“The mindset shift worldwide is that once you are in for a Rolls-Royce, you want to make sure it is yours and carries your personalisation,” said chief executive Torsten Müller-Otvös.

The average selling price was now “half a million euros,” which is double what it was 10 years ago, he added.

Some of its Phantom models — its flagship saloon — sell for more than €2mn once the price of additional features is included.

The Middle East, where the company opened a new “private office” during the year, is the leading region for customisation spending.

The company is experiencing “no slow down” in luxury orders, Müller-Otvös said, despite global economic conditions tightening, with an order book that runs deep into the coming year. The largest orders were for its Cullinan SUV, he said.

As well as the slight fall in sales in China, the brand also had a “quite substantial” hit from Russia, where it typically sells 250-300 models a year.

The company stopped selling into the country following sanctions, while it had “checks made on Russian clients worldwide” before shipping any finished models to them. It was also able to “compensate” because of rising demand overall, said Müller-Otvös.

The business, which only sells 12-cylinder petrol models currently, is preparing to launch its first fully electric car, the Spectre.