Rolls-Royce created history last year selling the most cars it has ever sold in its 117-year history. The luxury carmaker sold 5,586 cars globally last year, which is 1,836 more than in the COVID-wrecked 2020 and 461 more than the previous record it set in 2019.

• Rolls-Royce registers highest ever sales since it was founded in 1906
• Its growth has been driven by demand for its Ghost sedan
• Its first electric car, the Spectre, will launch next year

Steady rise in demand

It is the highest volume recorded by the Goodwood firm since it was founded as Rolls-Royce Limited in 1906. The carmaker attributes this to “all-time record sales in most regions” and high demand for all its models and adds that the sales volumes achieved last year make it the undisputed leader in the uber-luxury segment.

Coming to Rolls-Royce’s India sales, the company said its business remained stable despite challenges throughout the year. “We are now seeing positive signs of a rebound with increasing customer interest in the brand,” said Sangwook Lee, regional sales manager, Asia Pacific. Rolls-Royce sells the Wraith, Ghost, Phantom, Dawn and the Cullinan SUV in our country.

Although the company has also not released global figures for each car, Rolls-Royce says the latest Ghost sedan has helped them record these numbers, which is further bolstered by the launch of the more dynamically oriented Ghost Black Badge overseas. 

The larger Phantom and Cullinan are also selling in huge numbers, with orders running until the third quarter of this year. Its factory in Goodwood now has two shifts, to fulfil these orders.

One-off models

Bespoke Rolls-Royce commissions also hit a high, with models like the Phantom Oribe and Phantom Tempus. The carmaker also revealed the £20 million (over Rs 20 crore) Boat Tail in 2021 as a statement for its Coachbuild division, which is expected to produce a totally bespoke model once every two years.

Rolls-Royce has also begun on-road tests of the Spectre – its first fully electric car – recently, and by the time it's revealed, it will have undergone over 20 lakh kilometres of testing, which is equivalent to 400 years of use. 

Rolls-Royce's record sales figures come just days after fellow British marque Bentley also announced last year to be its best year on record. Clearly, the pandemic has not affected sales of the luxury segment.

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