The nearly 120-year-old British car maker started in Manchester, England, before being bought by Germany’s BMW, who currently own the company.
Luxury car brand Rolls-Royce announced Monday it had record sales in 2022 despite the average price of one of its vehicles being $534,000, according to reports.
Rolls-Royce said it sold just 6,021 cars in 2022, up from 5,586 in 2021, according to the New York Post.
The company says its sales were led by the Americas, who made up around 35% of its buyers, according to Reuters.
China, the company’s second-largest market, saw a dip in sales because coronavirus-related lockdowns led to a "single-digit drop,” according to Reuters.
Despite the dip in China, CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös said in an online presentation Monday that this decrease was offset by growth in other markets, according to Reuters.
"Our order book stretches far into 2023 for all models," Müller-Ötvös said. "We haven't seen any slowdown in orders."
Müller-Ötvös added that China’s reopening and economic recovery could help make China its largest market in the future, according to CNBC.
“I foresee that market being quite a stunning business for us,” he said. “Particularly in the luxury segment, it’s in growth mode. I would not be surprised to see one day China being the largest region for us worldwide.”
The Rolls-Royce Cullinan, its luxury SUV, was its best-seller in 2022, making up about half of global sales, according to CNBC.
Rolls-Royce Ghost sedan made up for over 30% of sales, while its legendary Phantom accounted for about 10%, according to CNBC.
Rolls-Royce’s biggest launch last year was the Spectre, its first electric vehicle and the beginning of its plan to become fully electric by 2030, according to Reuters.
Spectre, which has a starting price of $413,000, saw more than 300 pre-orders from U.S. customers before it was officially unveiled last October, CNBC said.
“Definitely far more than 300,” Müller-Ötvös said. “The orderbook has exceeded our expectations — even our highest expectations.”
The nearly 120-year-old British car maker started in Manchester, England, before being bought by Germany’s BMW, who currently own the company.
