2019 (Full Year) Global: Rolls-Royce Sales Worldwide

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In 2019, Rolls-Royce sales worldwide increased by a quarter to a new record 5,152 motor cars. The Cullinan SUV was in high demand.

In 2019, Rolls-Royce sales worldwide increased by a quarter to a new record 5,152 motor cars.

In full calendar year 2019, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars increased worldwide deliveries by 25% to 5,152 cars – the highest number in the 116-year history of the company. Record numbers of Rolls-Royce cars were sold in amongst others the USA, UK, Canada, and Germany. The US remained by far the largest single-country market for Rolls-Royce and accounted for around a third of all sales in 2019. The Cullinan SUV is credited with significant sales and opening new markets for Rolls-Royce.

Rolls-Royce Worldwide Sales Growth in 2019

Sales of Rolls-Royce cars grew across all regions during 2019, driven by strong customer demand for all Rolls‑Royce models. The company reported significant sales growth in every one of its key global markets. North America retained top status (around a third of global sales) followed by China and Europe (including the UK). Individual countries that achieved strong sales results included Russia, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Qatar, and Korea.

In 2019, Rolls-Royce motor cars were sold in more than 50 countries worldwide through a global network of 135 dealerships.

Best-Selling Rolls-Royce Models in 2019

Without revealing actual numbers, Rolls Royce claimed that all models sold well during 2019. The Cullinan, the first SUV in the 116-year history of the firm, was particularly lauded for selling well.

According to Rolls-Royce, the Phantom retains its rightful place as the company’s pinnacle product, with Dawn and Wraith continuing to dominate their respective sectors; strong demand was experienced for all three models during the year.

Cullinan, the marque’s new SUV, successfully translated the media plaudits and public acclaim into the largest advance order book and fastest post‑launch sales growth of any Rolls-Royce model in history.

In its first full year of availability, Cullinan exceeded even the highest expectations raised by its successful launch. The super-luxury SUV has become the fastest-selling new Rolls-Royce model in history.

In November 2019, the marque completed its dark, edgy Black Badge family with the addition of Cullinan Black Badge alongside Ghost, Dawn and Wraith variants, all of which were highly sought-after by customers seeking a more individual, rebellious expression of the Rolls‑Royce brand.

The fervour throughout the year around the arrival of Cullinan was matched only by the media and public sensation occasioned by the launch of Cullinan Black Badge, ‘The King of the Night’, in November. This completed the Black Badge family of unapologetic, dynamic products created for an emerging generation of super-luxury consumer; people who refuse to be defined by traditional codes of luxury, follow their own path and make their own rules.

Commenting on the results, Torsten MĂŒller-Ötvös, CEO, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said: “This performance is of an altogether different magnitude to any previous year’s sales success. While we celebrate these remarkable results we are conscious of our key promise to our customers, to keep our brand rare and exclusive. We are pleased and proud to have delivered growth of 25% in 2019. Worldwide demand last year for our Cullinan SUV has driven this success and is expected to stabilise in 2020. It is a ringing testament to the quality and integrity of our products, the faith and passion of our customers and, above all, the skill, dedication and determination of our exceptional team at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood and around the world and our dedicated global dealer network.”

Rolls-Royce Ghost

2019 marked the end of Ghost production after 11 years of uninterrupted commercial and critical success. Since its launch at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2009, Ghost has established itself as an undisputed modern classic. The most popular Rolls-Royce model of the Goodwood era, Ghost attracted a new audience of younger, often self-made, entrepreneurial customers to the Rolls-Royce brand. An extended wheelbase version was introduced in 2011 and an updated Ghost Series II was unveiled in Geneva in 2014. The last Ghost of the current generation left the Goodwood production line at the end of 2019.

Ghost has been a highly successful and vitally important car for Rolls-Royce. Over its 11-year lifecycle – a truly remarkable record for any motor car – it became the biggest-selling Rolls-Royce not just of the Goodwood era, but in the entire history of the marque. The commercial success of Ghost placed Rolls-Royce in a position to scale up its production and make the massive investments that have led to it becoming the truly global brand it is today.

Ghost’s successor is due for launch in mid-2020 after five years in development. With market availability from the fourth quarter, the successor will elevate the Ghost name, and the company itself, to new heights of excellence and ambition in design, engineering, materials and driving dynamics.

Bespoke: The Jewel in the Crown of Rolls-Royce

Global demand for Rolls-Royce Bespoke reached a new peak in 2019. The Bespoke Collective at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex, comprises several hundred creative designers, engineers and craftspeople. These highly talented men and women take enormous pride in fulfilling unprecedented levels of customer requests for Bespoke personalisation and delivering on beautiful individual commissions such as the Rose Phantom. Undisputed global leaders in their pursuit of perfection, the Bespoke Collective captured the imagination of customers, enthusiasts, media and fans alike in 2019 with some of the most spectacular Collection Cars ever created in the history of the brand. Bespoke IS Rolls-Royce!

Among the year’s Bespoke highlights was the Zenith Collector’s Edition of Rolls-Royce Ghost. Limited to just 50 examples, this masterpiece was created to mark the end of Ghost’s remarkable 11-year reign.

Wraith Eagle VIII celebrated the centenary of Alcock and Brown’s first non-stop transatlantic flight (powered by twin Rolls-Royce Eagle engines). Tranquillity Phantom, inspired by space exploration, features a unique Gallery inspired by the X-Ray coded aperture masks used on the British Skylark space rocket and, for the first time in a Rolls-Royce, incorporates meteorite as an aesthetic embellishment.

New accessories added to the existing, much celebrated Bespoke offering, including the exceptional Rolls-Royce Champagne Chest.

Expanding Rolls Royce Facilities

At more than 2,000 strong, with 50 nationalities represented, the workforce at the Home of Rolls-Royce is now at its largest since the opening of Rolls-Royce’s Global Centre for Luxury Manufacturing Excellence, in 2003.

The year saw significant new investment in the manufacturing plant at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, reaffirming both the company’s commitment to its UK operations and its buoyant outlook for the years ahead. Projects included further refinements to the already world-class manufacturing facilities, equipment and processes, to maximise efficiency and ensure the highest levels of quality as demanded by Rolls-Royce customers. A new two-storey development, due for completion in the first quarter of 2020, will add more than 1,000 square metres to the ground floor Assembly Hall, and create additional first-floor office space.

Global Worldwide Car Sales Statistics:

Global Worldwide Car Sales by Brand in 2020 (Full Year)

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Global worldwide car sales by brand in 2020 (Full Year):

“Sales” as reported by brands generally refer to deliveries and not necessarily sales to the customer and final registration. Terms and definitions may vary.

Global Worldwide Car Sales by Brand in 2019 (Full Year)

About Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the BMW Group and is a completely separate company from Rolls-Royce plc, the manufacturer of aircraft engines and propulsion systems. Over 2,000 skilled men and women are employed at the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ head office and manufacturing plant at Goodwood, West Sussex, the only place in the world where the company’s super-luxury motor cars are hand-built.

About the author:

Henk Bekker

Henk Bekker is a freelance writer with over 20 years of experience in online writing. His best-selling cars website has been reporting car sales statistics since 2008 with classic car auction prices focusing on the most expensive automobiles sold at public auctions in the past decade. He also owns the travel websites European-Traveler.com and Lake Geneva Switzerland. Henk holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and an MSc in Finance from the University of London.