Rolls-Royce 2022 sales reach 118-year high

Describing 2022 as a momentous year, Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös also spoke of Rolls-Royce’s inaugural all-electric Spectre model. Here are his own words:

“Not only did we reveal to the world Rolls-Royce Spectre, our brand’s very first all-electric production model, but it was also the first year in which we delivered more than 6,000 cars in a single 12-month period, with strong demand across our product portfolio. But as a true luxury house, sales are not our only measure of success: we are not and never will be a mass-market manufacturer.”

In addition, Torsten Müller-Ötvös also commented on the luxury carmaker’s tailored and personalized approach, stating:

“Bespoke is Rolls-Royce, and orders have also reached record levels in the past year as our customers’ demands become ever more imaginative and technically demanding – a challenge we are enthusiastically meeting.”

The all-electric Rolls-Royce Spectre will go on sale in late 2023.

Other important takeaways from Rolls-Royce’s latest record sales

In addition to buyers in the Middle East, Rolls-Royce also said that other regions drove its latest record sales volume. These include the U.S., which remains its largest market with about 35 percent of sales, Asia-Pacific and Europe. However, the British luxury car brand also revealed that it has experienced significant headwinds in China, its second largest market. According to Rolls-Royce, coronavirus-related constraints have led to a single-digit decline in sales across Greater China – including Hong Kong.

Despite the Chinese setback, Torsten Müller-Ötvös emphasized that growth in other regions offset the decline. In addition, the Rolls-Royce CEO also revealed that the company still has a long order book for most of this year.

“Our order backlog extends through 2023 for all models. We have not seen a slowdown in orders” he said.

Demand for all Rolls-Royce models also remains exceptionally strong in 2023 despite the cessation of sales in Russia last February. The company pulled out of the Eastern European nation early last year after the unprovoked invasion of neighboring Ukraine. At the time, Rolls-Royce car orders to Russia were 250 to 300 units per year.

According to Rolls-Royce, there is still a waiting list of customers willing to pay half a million euros for its cars. On average, each luxury car costs a whopping $534,000.

Rolls-Royce would not be affected by the global semiconductor shortage

Currently owned by German automotive brand BMW, Rolls-Royce previously revealed that it has maintained good production levels during the global chip shortage. According to the Goodwood-based automaker, its parent company BMW ensured a substantial supply of parts to support production intensity.