Rolls-Royce hits high
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has recorded its second highest ever annual sales results in the marque’s 113-year history, up six per cent on 2015.
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 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 five per cent). 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.
