The Rolls-Royce Phanton Oribe is a collaboration with Hermes. Photo / Supplied
The Rolls-Royce Phanton Oribe is a collaboration with Hermes. Photo / Supplied
Rolls-Royce delivered a record number of cars last year after Covid made its ultra-wealthy customers appreciate that life is short and they should enjoy the "lovely things in the world", its chief executive has said.
The 117-year-old company, which is owned by BMW, said it delivered 5,586 cars in 2021,49pc higher than a year earlier, driven by demand for its Ghost limousine and Cullinan SUV.
Wealthy customers in the US, China and the rest of Asia boosted its performance, as well as custom orders such as the Phantom Oribe, co-created with fashion house Hermès and commissioned by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa.
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, chief executive, said: "Many people also witnessed in their community people dying from Covid and that made them think that life can be short and you'd better live now than postpone it to a later date.
The Cullinan is Rolls-Royce's first sports utility vehicle (SUV). Photo / Supplied
"That also has helped quite massively to (encourage people to) invest into what I would call the nice, lovely things in the world."
The growth makes it "the undisputed leader" for cars costing more than €250,000 (£209,000), it said.
Luxury carmakers have enjoyed a boom in sales during the pandemic as international travel bans and other restrictions encouraged wealthy customers to pour their money into cars.
A global computer chip shortage has hammered the production of mass-market carmakers, but the significantly larger margins at upmarket manufacturers have allowed them to swallow higher prices for the components.
Rolls Royce's factory in Goodwood, West Sussex, which employs the bulk of the company's 2,000 workers, is running at full capacity to complete orders, and wait times run at about a year.
Müller-Ötvös said: "Waiting times are a good thing for luxury goods."
He added that he was "optimistic" about beating the record for sales again for 2022 and said: "I would foresee a small growth number, percentage-wise, for next year."
The company has recently launched a service called "Coachbuild", which allows its wealthiest clients to design their own car, a process that takes four years.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom Oribe offers unrivalled comfort for passengers. Photo / Supplied
Müller-Ötvös said: "It's a completely new Rolls Royce never seen before in history. And that is something we offer with Coachbuild. We hand select the clients worldwide. We have quite some demand for that."
He added that Rolls had made "huge strides" into its "all-electric future" as it develops its first battery powered car, the Spectre, which it plans to sell from the end of 2023.
Rolls-Royce's results come after rival Bentley broke its sales record following strong demand for its hybrid SUV, the Bentayga, which starts at just over £150,000.
Last month upmarket car dealer HR Owen reported a seven-fold profit increase as the ultra-wealthy bought up Aston Martins and Lamborghinis, as well as Rolls Royces during the pandemic.
