Rolls-Royce achieves record car sales in ‘phenomenal’ 2021

Luxury carmaker’s sales rose 49%, with 5,586 cars sold around the globe

Luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce saw global sales soar 49 per cent to a record high in 2021, despite the Covid-19 pandemic causing production gluts for manufacturers across the automotive industry.

The BMW-owned company sold 5,586 cars to customers in more than 50 countries, the highest figure in the company’s 117-year history, making the brand the “undisputed leader in the €250,000-plus segment”.

Rolls-Royce chief executive Torsten Müller-Ötvös described 2021 as “a phenomenal year” for company.

“I don’t think anyone would disagree with me that 2021 was the most volatile, unpredictable and challenging year for businesses across the board,” he said.

“However, in the luxury sector as a whole, the struggle was not so much focused on attempting to find customers, but rather producing enough product to satisfy huge customer demand.”

Britain’s car industry was hammered by the pandemic in 2020, with new car sales suffering the biggest fall since the 1940s, and an expected recovery in 2021 not materialising as the supply chain crisis saw a global chip shortage that halted manufacturing in factories across the world.

The luxury market appears much more upbeat, with premium and luxury car sales growing more broadly in key global markets such as China and the US as pandemic travel restrictions have left wealthy consumers with more disposable income.

Rolls-Royce reported all-time highs in most of the regions it sells its cars, including China, the Americas and Asia-Pacific.

While the company said there was high demand for all models, the Ghost was particularly popular with an uplift in sales following the launch of the Black Badge Ghost in October.

This, together with the Cullinan and the marque’s “pinnacle product” Phantom, “has ensured order books are full well into the third quarter of 2022,” the company said.