Recession? What recession, asks Rolls-Royce

While many of us will be emptying the piggy bank and poking around the back of the sofa in the hunt for extra cash when it comes to buying a new car this year, it seems there are still plenty of recession-proof motorists out there who are able to get themselves (or indeed their driver) behind the wheel of a Rolls-Royce.

Despite general economic doom and gloom across the globe, 3,538 Rolls-Royces were delivered to customers in 2011, a 31% increase on 2010 when 2,711 were sold. The 2011 figure represents the highest annual sales in the brand's 107-year history. The previous record was 3,347 cars sold back in 1978, the era of the much-loved Silver Shadow II. Sales across the Ghost and Phantom lines increased last year.

Sales were up 47% in Asia-Pacific, 17% in North America and 23% in the Middle East. Britain appeared to be not so broken after all with 30% growth last year. In Continental Europe, Germany and Russia were the two biggest markets, both doubling sales from the 2010 figures. Not surprisingly, the biggest markets were the US, where there are still plenty of multimillionaires to go round, and China, where the number of multimillionaires seems to be growing by the hour. The UK, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates rounded out the top five countries for Rolls-Royce sales last year.

Last year also marked a new high in sales of bespoke Rollers, especially with the Ghost model. Personalised car sales got a boost with two collections, the Spirit of Ecstasy Centenary Collection and Year of the Dragon Phantom commissions (as opposed to phantom commissions which wouldn't exist and thus would not impact on sales figures, but we digress...).

All this good sales news is indeed good news for British jobs with Rolls-Royce announcing plans to expand its manufacturing plant at Goodwood where there are already 1,000 people employed. Expansion work on the plant begins next month. Tally ho!

www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com



The scrumy interior of said Rolls-Royce Ghost Extended Wheelbase



Where it all started; the Rolls-Royce 10HP, 1904. Moustache compulsory



The Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow saloon was a big-seller back in the late 70s



The current crop of modern Rollers. Come on England! 


By Georgia Lewis

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