Rolls-Royce sees record sales in 2014

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the British ultra-luxury brand currently owned by BMW AG, the world’s largest premium automaker, announced in a statement that it managed to deliver a record number of units last year.

Total 2014 sales took the 111-year-old carmaker for the first time above the 4,000-unit mark, with a tally of 4,063 cars, representing a 12 percent surge over the figures accounted in 2013. The record sales also mark the fifth consecutive year of annual record increases.

Additionally, “a record number of customers spent personal one-on-one time with Rolls-Royce’s Bespoke design consultants commissioning their personalised vehicles,” commented the company in a statement.

The automaker further disclosed that sales in the US market; the largest for luxury cars increased by almost a third, while jumping 40 percent in Europe and soaring 20 percent in the Middle East. Naturally, the Wraith entry-level model and continued growth from the redesigned Ghost Series II drove the sales performance up.

Profits should also tally nicely, as Rolls-Royce claimed it sold more cars above the €200,000 (£157,000) threshold than any direct competitor as demand for bespoke customisation remained at a high level.

Torsten Muller-Otvos, chief executive commenting on the sidelines of the sales statement added that around 80 percent of customers were entrepreneurs and business owners, with the remainder celebrities.

The company’s strong performance was buoyed by its emphasis on strategising a “balanced global sales picture,” with emphasis on overall – not regional – demand.

He added that the brand was still mulling whether to develop a four-wheel drive SUV vehicle, pursuing Bentley that is in the final stages of development with its upcoming ultra-luxury crossover model.