RE: In 119 years, Rolls-Royce has never sold more cars
Monday 8th January 2024
In 119 years, Rolls-Royce has never sold more cars
Rolls-Royce celebrates its 120th birthday this year - what better way to start than with a record-breaking 2023?
Though there’s probably no such thing as a small year for brands like Rolls-Royce, 2024 stands to be one of the more significant: not only does it mark 120 years since the first meeting of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce, it will also see its first production EV - the Spectre - enjoy its first full year of production. Rolls-Royce goes into ‘24 in rude health, moreover, with a record year announced for 2023: 6,032 cars were delivered.
You might think that would be the first time the 6,000 threshold had been surpassed, but that figure is actually a very tiny increase on 2022, where 6,021 sales were recorded. Still, a record is a record, and never before has Rolls-Royce sold as many cars as in 2023.
Predictably enough, the Cullinan was the biggest seller again, followed by the Ghost and the Phantom. Last year saw the final Wraiths and Dawns roll out of Goodwood, and the first Spectres reached customers as well. It’ll be interesting to see how the 2024 figures reflect the switch from V12 to EV for the two-door. Every single Rolls-Royce now features something from the Bespoke department, be it a paint finish - with some requiring ‘entirely new materials, techniques and formulations to achieve’ - or an upholstery option.
Today’s news was accompanied by the confirmation that Bespoke commissions reached ‘new record levels by both number and value’; additionally, the Middle East was crowned as the region requesting ‘the most creatively ambitious and technically challenging’ bespoke features.
Speaking of which, the Middle East enjoyed a record year for Rolls-Royce sales, as did Europe and Asia-Pacific (the latter aided by a strong performance in Korea). The most cars went to the USA, with China in second; the UK is the biggest Rolls-Royce market in Europe.
2024 will see a renewed focus on Bespoke and Coachbuild commissions (think Droptail for the latter) with new Private Offices set for Seoul and the US to give direct access to the designers and engineers. Plus, of course, an ever-increasing focus on electric Rolls-Royces. New Chief Executive Officer Chris Brownridge added: “As incoming CEO, I’m in the extremely fortunate position of taking over responsibility for a business in robust good health, with strong foundations and a clear strategy for growth and development, formidable technical capabilities and a focused, dedicated team. I’m looking forward to working with the entire Rolls-Royce team to maintain this momentum and take this great company forward with confidence and conviction.”
Discussion
It's great that they are selling that many cars however for a car company that has been known for the last 120 years for engine smoothness and quietness not character , why have they been so slow to go electric ? Its the perfect combination surely? The model S was launched 12 years ago , BMW itself launched the I3 11 years ago, why so slow? . A bit of a failure on RR management to be so behind the curve on what should be a no brainer .
Wouldnt call your best sales ever a failure !
And RR are looking into electrification, as you say its a perfect fit, but they are in no rush as they are selling well as they are and they dont move at breakneck pace, it has to be perfect when you have the customer base that Rolls Royce has.
And RR are looking into electrification, as you say its a perfect fit, but they are in no rush as they are selling well as they are and they dont move at breakneck pace, it has to be perfect when you have the customer base that Rolls Royce has.
Rostyle said:
It's great that they are selling that many cars however for a car company that has been known for the last 120 years for engine smoothness and quietness not character , why have they been so slow to go electric ? Its the perfect combination surely? The model S was launched 12 years ago , BMW itself launched the I3 11 years ago, why so slow? . A bit of a failure on RR management to be so behind the curve on what should be a no brainer .
Not sure you can really compare RR with a fecking Tesla or an i3 can you?They had a prototype of the Spectre at FOS some 12 years ago, nearly 13 so, as always with RR, it's about perfection. They're not just going to rush it out there just to jump on the EV bandwagon are they
Rostyle said:
It's great that they are selling that many cars however for a car company that has been known for the last 120 years for engine smoothness and quietness not character , why have they been so slow to go electric ? Its the perfect combination surely? The model S was launched 12 years ago , BMW itself launched the I3 11 years ago, why so slow? . A bit of a failure on RR management to be so behind the curve on what should be a no brainer .
Demand more than anything and listening to customers. Some clearly want them now, but even then once you actually look at the Spectre the actual technical specifications are behind the EV6 and Taycan in terms of charging architecture (Spectre being 400v, not 800v) being one example.
RR sell, relatively speaking, very small volumes. It doesn't really make sense for them to be trying to develop ( expensive ) cutting edge technology such as class leading EV range, as it wouldn't make economic sense given the numbers they sell.
They know what their customers want - the Cullinan, for all it's visual challenges. They're slowly moving into the EV world, and suspect they're unhurried approach to this is perfect for them....
They know what their customers want - the Cullinan, for all it's visual challenges. They're slowly moving into the EV world, and suspect they're unhurried approach to this is perfect for them....
BigChiefmuffinAgain said:
RR sell, relatively speaking, very small volumes. It doesn't really make sense for them to be trying to develop ( expensive ) cutting edge technology such as class leading EV range, as it wouldn't make economic sense given the numbers they sell.
They know what their customers want - the Cullinan, for all it's visual challenges. They're slowly moving into the EV world, and suspect they're unhurried approach to this is perfect for them....
Yes and I doubt the owners of RR cars do 40,000m a year so range is no issue at all (plus they will have a ton of other cars anyway).They know what their customers want - the Cullinan, for all it's visual challenges. They're slowly moving into the EV world, and suspect they're unhurried approach to this is perfect for them....
So I seem to have triggered some people ... I personally have never thought of RR as an enthusiastics car , smooth and luxurious , yes , fun , no , thats why I made the comparison with other car manufacters who have been doing electric for over a decade, smooth , comfortable , to me ultimately very boring . Trigger warning - Tesla ( I've said it ) went from 10,0000 to 1,200,000 sales from 2012 to now . I am not saying they are a direct competitor , what I am saying is that BMW is all about sales and they own RR , and they have dropped the ball big time , they missed a huge sales opportunity .My point about the I3 was not that it could be a RR but that they've had experience with electric cars for over a decade but have taken far too long to get to market .
BigChiefmuffinAgain said:
RR sell, relatively speaking, very small volumes. It doesn't really make sense for them to be trying to develop ( expensive ) cutting edge technology such as class leading EV range, as it wouldn't make economic sense given the numbers they sell.
They know what their customers want - the Cullinan, for all it's visual challenges. They're slowly moving into the EV world, and suspect they're unhurried approach to this is perfect for them....
They don't have to throw money at the development of EV solutions, that's the fun of being part of a much larger company which is very much involved in that arena.. You just adapt what they have and run with it. They know what their customers want - the Cullinan, for all it's visual challenges. They're slowly moving into the EV world, and suspect they're unhurried approach to this is perfect for them....
You're so right though, their customers don't want that for their posh stuff yet. (c:
Rostyle said:
So I seem to have triggered some people ... I personally have never thought of RR as an enthusiastics car , smooth and luxurious , yes , fun , no , thats why I made the comparison with other car manufacters who have been doing electric for over a decade, smooth , comfortable , to me ultimately very boring . Trigger warning - Tesla ( I've said it ) went from 10,0000 to 1,200,000 sales from 2012 to now . I am not saying they are a direct competitor , what I am saying is that BMW is all about sales and they own RR , and they have dropped the ball big time , they missed a huge sales opportunity .My point about the I3 was not that it could be a RR but that they've had experience with electric cars for over a decade but have taken far too long to get to market .
I suggest you write to them and tell them to do an "Aston Martin " and buy a few dozen i3s, stick a Pantheon radiator grille on the front, reupholster the seats in Connolly hide, respray in a subtle metallic colour, and ... tadaa ... a baby electric Rolls Royce. 
Frimley111R said:
Yes and I doubt the owners of RR cars do 40,000m a year so range is no issue at all (plus they will have a ton of other cars anyway).
I bet a few do. There's millions of people for which £500k will be less than a year's income so to some of them piling miles on their RR will be of little consequence.
I'd rather a RR cost me £5 a mile in depreciation over £500.
_Rodders_ said:
I bet a few do.
There's millions of people for which £500k will be less than a year's income so to some of them piling miles on their RR will be of little consequence.
I'd rather a RR cost me £5 a mile in depreciation over £500.
Your absolutely right Rodders There are trillions and millions of pounds Euros and dollars floating around out there all we hear about is doom and gloom but its not that bad. A good percentage of people on this forum are still enjoying the vehicles they love There's millions of people for which £500k will be less than a year's income so to some of them piling miles on their RR will be of little consequence.
I'd rather a RR cost me £5 a mile in depreciation over £500.
Nish Gnackers said:
I suggest you write to them and tell them to do an "Aston Martin " and buy a few dozen i3s, stick a Pantheon radiator grille on the front, reupholster the seats in Connolly hide, respray in a subtle metallic colour, and ... tadaa ... a baby electric Rolls Royce.
They did sort of do that, okay no flying lady, with the Mini by inspired by Goodwood.asci.white said:
BigChiefmuffinAgain said:
RR sell, relatively speaking, very small volumes. It doesn't really make sense for them to be trying to develop ( expensive ) cutting edge technology such as class leading EV range, as it wouldn't make economic sense given the numbers they sell.
They know what their customers want - the Cullinan, for all it's visual challenges. They're slowly moving into the EV world, and suspect they're unhurried approach to this is perfect for them....
They don't have to throw money at the development of EV solutions, that's the fun of being part of a much larger company which is very much involved in that arena.. You just adapt what they have and run with it. They know what their customers want - the Cullinan, for all it's visual challenges. They're slowly moving into the EV world, and suspect they're unhurried approach to this is perfect for them....
You're so right though, their customers don't want that for their posh stuff yet. (c:
Exact same as Bentley’s plan
Edited by D4rez on Monday 8th January 13:39
Rostyle said:
It's great that they are selling that many cars however for a car company that has been known for the last 120 years for engine smoothness and quietness not character , why have they been so slow to go electric ? Its the perfect combination surely? The model S was launched 12 years ago , BMW itself launched the I3 11 years ago, why so slow? . A bit of a failure on RR management to be so behind the curve on what should be a no brainer .
For the same reason an EV Range Rover is taking so long to arrive to market - customer tastes. For the known benefits of an EV, the relative inconvenience of range and access to public charging does not sit well with the likely buyers of a Spectre or electric L460. These people don't do compromise.
For individuals who often seek discretion, hanging around Peterborough services for enough charge to finish their journeys might not get the sale. There's a reason the best-selling Range Rovers of the last 20 years are always diesel, and continue to be in 2024.
It will be fascinating to see how many electric Range Rovers are 'sold'. My gut feeling, very few.
However, for those looking for the ultimate second car to charge privately, this is it. Unless they want another SUV of course.
Rostyle said:
It's great that they are selling that many cars however for a car company that has been known for the last 120 years for engine smoothness and quietness not character , why have they been so slow to go electric ? Its the perfect combination surely? The model S was launched 12 years ago , BMW itself launched the I3 11 years ago, why so slow? . A bit of a failure on RR management to be so behind the curve on what should be a no brainer .
Maybe their customer base prefer their cars like their private jets. With an engine.Rostyle said:
It's great that they are selling that many cars however for a car company that has been known for the last 120 years for engine smoothness and quietness not character , why have they been so slow to go electric ? Its the perfect combination surely? The model S was launched 12 years ago , BMW itself launched the I3 11 years ago, why so slow? . A bit of a failure on RR management to be so behind the curve on what should be a no brainer .
Actually I worked on a project in my old job 10 or so years ago where we converted a Phantom to electric with a view to RR doing a limited run.It was excellent, smoother quieter than the IC car although the limitations of the available tech back then made it a little slower to 60 than the V12 model.
It could only manage about 200km on a charge but that was limited in part by the spec which IIRC was driven by one of the use cases being luxury hotels using them as airport cars. They would sit on a wireless charging pad in their designated space being topped up during the day so they would have enough range to do several round trips.
Again IIRC it didn't make it to limited production as they canvassed existing customers and couldn't find enough potential buyers to justify it.
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