Rolls-Royce Breaks Sales Record With The Average Customer Spending $500,000 On A Vehicle

Jan. 09, 2023 4:30 AM ET by Gerhard Horn Industry News / 3 Comments

2022 broke records across many spheres for the ultra-luxury brand.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has announced another record year of sales, up 8% compared to 2021. With 6021 units sold in 2022, the British marque managed to shift 475 more cars than it did the year prior. That may not seem like a big difference, but Rolls-Royce's cheapest model starts at $340,000 before a customer dives into the seemingly endless options list.

Based on the entry-level price of a Rolls-Royce Ghost ($340,000), those 475 additional models are worth $161.5 million, perfectly demonstrating why an 8% growth matters to a high-end manufacturer. Even more important than the overall numbers were that a third of those cars found homes in the United States. Rolls-Royce also states that it received the highest value of Bespoke commissions in its 118-year history.

This trend mimics what we've seen with Bentley, which also reported a record number of Mulliner commissions for 2022.

According to Rolls-Royce, its clients spend an average of 500,000 euros ($533,655) on a Rolls-Royce after options.

North America remains the most significant region for Rolls-Royce, and the US is the largest market. Around one-third of international deliveries (2,000 units) were made to America and the Cullinan was the most in-demand model in the US. The Black Badge models represented nearly half of all sales, with 35% of Americans going for the more sinister Roller models.

While the Cullinan was the most successful model in the States, it is nice to see that some regions in the world aren't obsessed with oversized SUVs.

The Ghost was Rolls-Royce's best-selling model in the Asia Pacific region. In America, the Ghost came in second behind the Cullinan, and one in three Ghosts was a Black Badge.

As for the all-new Spectre EV, Rolls-Royce only stated that pre-orders are well over expectations and plans. Not that the Wraith and Dawn are done, Rolls-Royce essentially has a four-car range, but considering the models that are left are the heavy hitters, Rolls-Royce will likely have another record-breaker in 2023.

The timing couldn't be better for Rolls-Royce, celebrating its 20th anniversary since full production began at its current home at Goodwood. This past year, the brand created more than 150 jobs at the facility, employing more than 2,500 people from over 50 countries.