Rolls-Royce makes some of the most expensive cars that money can buy, only topped by supercars from exotic brands. Even though 2022 was generally a bad year for the automotive industry, the ultra-luxury marque from Goodwood managed to set an absolute record. For the first time ever, it delivered more than 6,000 cars, reaching 6,021 units or 8% more than the year before.
As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Rolls-Royce is happy to report buyers spent on average around €500,000 (about $537,000) for their prized possessions. The high transaction price was fueled by the endless customizations available through the Bespoke program, which was particularly popular among clients from the Middle East. For the sake of comparison, Rolls-Royce was selling cars in 2014 valued at an average of €200,000.
Rolls-Royce doesn’t provide a breakdown of sales per model, but to no one’s surprise, it does say the Cullinan SUV was its most popular model overall. The Ghost was its best-selling vehicle in the Asia-Pacific region while the Black Badge versions enjoyed “extraordinary growth” in 2022.
Near the end of last year, the lineup was expanded to include the Spectre to serve as the firm’s first-ever electric car. Despite an exorbitant starting price of $413,000, the stately and silent coupe had already amassed over 300 orders in the United States before its world premiere in mid-October. Customer deliveries are scheduled to commence in the final quarter of 2023 and Rolls-Royce says demand has exceeded its “most ambitious expectations.”
This year is looking great already since RR has already received plenty of orders to keep busy far into 2023. To support the company’s growth, more than 150 jobs were created over the course of last year. Additional coachbuilding commissions are in the works to follow the Boat Tail and the Sweptail before it.
As previously announced, Rolls-Royce intends to abandon its venerable V12 engine in the next seven years. The company intends to exclusively sell EVs by 2030.
Source: Rolls-Royce