Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has today announced its second highest ever annual sales result in the marque’s 113-year history, up 6% on its 2015 results
A total of 4,011 cars were delivered to customers in more than 50 countries, affirming the brand’s strength and resilience in a year of challenging market conditions for luxury goods worldwide.
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO, said, “This remarkable result emphatically affirms the global appeal of the very finest British luxury goods to the world’s most discerning patrons. Rolls-Royce is a true Great British manufacturing success story, one driven by the hard work and ingenuity of the men and women employed at our Centre of Luxury Excellence in Goodwood, West Sussex. We are deeply committed to a long-term, sustainable, successful growth strategy and this result, amidst a backdrop of global uncertainty, affirms this approach. 2016 has proven the perfect year to sign off the successful first chapter of the renaissance of Rolls-Royce. Success for Rolls-Royce is a success for Great Britain and we reaffirm our commitment to maintaining the Home of Rolls-Royce in the UK.”
The company recorded its highest-ever sales in key global markets including the Americas (up 12%), Europe (up 28%) and Asia Pacific (up 5%). A number of individual markets also exceeded previous records, notably Japan (up 51%), Germany (up 30%), the UK – the marque’s home market – (up 26%), China (up 23%) and the USA (up 10%).
The only major region where conditions remained difficult was the Middle East where consumer demand for all luxury goods was dampened by economic and political uncertainty. However, despite these challenging market conditions, the Middle East ended the year as the third largest market in 2016, while Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dubai earned the accolade of the highest selling dealership globally.
As part of its commitment to long-term sustainable growth, Rolls-Royce announced six new dealerships during 2016, bringing the global dealership network to 136. New launches included the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Studio in South Korea and an innovative boutique-style concept in Dubai.
Models
Sustained global demand for Rolls-Royce’s fine products was driven by the continued success of the Wraith and Ghost families, which were further enhanced in 2016 with the introduction of their new Black Badge variants. Another major contributor was Dawn drophead which entered full production with the strongest pre-order book ever achieved by a new Rolls-Royce model.
2016 was also the final year of production for the seventh-generation Phantom, with its successor due in late 2018. Phantom retained its status as both the company’s pinnacle flagship product and the “best car in the world”, with customers eager to secure final Bespoke commissions to complete their collections, and own a landmark piece of Rolls-Royce history.
Bespoke
A highlight of the year was the successful completion of the largest single commission ever undertaken by Rolls-Royce: a fleet of 30 Extended Wheelbase Phantoms exclusively designed and handcrafted for THE 13 hotel in Macau. The first car was handed over to luxury entrepreneur Stephen Hung, Joint Chairman of THE 13 Holdings Limited, at the 2016 Geneva International Motor Show. Commissions like this reaffirm Rolls?Royce’s status as the only truly Bespoke house in the automotive world.
Indeed, almost as significant as the sales figures themselves is the continued growth and strength of Rolls?Royce’s Bespoke offering. One of the marque’s founding beliefs is that true luxury is deeply personal, and accordingly, Rolls-Royce continues to invest heavily in its Bespoke capabilities and craftsmanship.
Virtually every Phantom, Ghost, Wraith and Dawn produced in 2016 contained specially-commissioned and unique Bespoke design elements, reaffirming Rolls-Royce as the world’s only truly handcrafted luxury motor car. This position was further reinforced through its latest Bespoke Collections, which in 2016 included the Phantom Zenith Collection and ‘Dawn – Inspired by Fashion’, as well as unique creations such as Ghost Eternal Love, Nautical Dawn, ‘Dusk to Dawn’ and Phantom Wisdom. The Bespoke Wraith Luggage Collection and Picnic Hamper for the Phantom Zenith Collection also garnered critical acclaim and strong commissions worldwide.
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