The cost-of-living crisis is not affecting luxury cars: British carmaker Rolls-Royce achieved its highest annual sales in its 118-year history in 2022, with a total of 6,021 units sold, 8% more than in 2021.
Deliveries were made “to customers in some 50 countries,” mainly in the USA, China and Europe, Rolls Royce Motor Cars, which belongs to the German BMW group, said in a statement on Monday.
The figures released by Rolls-Royce contrast with the rest of the car market, which is struggling to recover from the pandemic and suffering from a global shortage of semiconductors.
New car sales in the UK, in particular, plunged to their lowest level in 30 years in 2022, despite a rebound at the end of the year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said on Thursday.
However, like other luxury brands such as Bentley and Bugatti, Rolls-Royce had already experienced a record year in 2021. In another example of the insolent health of the top-of-the-range automobile, Lamborghini announced in August that it had already pre-sold all its production until early 2024.
Rolls-Royce, founded at the beginning of the 20th century and bought by BMW in 1998, is also preparing to launch Spectre, its first all-electric vehicle.
The launch is scheduled for this year, and pre-orders have “exceeded expectations,” according to the brand. The first deliveries are expected in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Rolls-Royce has set itself a deadline of 2030 to build only electric vehicles.
