Rolls-Royce Motor Cars will decide this year whether to follow rival Bentley into the ultral-uxury SUV market, as the brand seeks to expand further after a five-year streak of sales records. Rolls-Royce will unveil a new convertible planned for mid-2016 this year, and a final verdict on entering the SUV segment is set to be made as well, CEO Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes said.
“We’ve made progress in evaluating options and in understanding better how such a project could work, what’s needed to make it work if we decide to go ahead,” he said.
Rolls-Royce delivered more vehicles in 2014 than ever before in its 111-year history, the England-based unit of BMW Group made in a statement recently. Global sales, which have more than quadrupled since 2009, gained 12 percent last year to 4,063 cars. The marque’s fifth consecutive annual sales record was driven by the Wraith coupe, which was first introduced in 2013, and an updated version of the Ghost sedan.
In addition to buying an unprecedented number of cars, a record number of consumers opted for exclusive personalized features. Rolls-Royce said it sold more cars costing at least 200,000 euros (USD238,000) last year than any other manufacturer. The U.S. remained the company’s largest market in 2014, ahead of China, United Arab Emirates and the UK. The best-selling dealership last year was in Abu Dhabi.
Rolls-Royce opened six new sales outlets in 2014 including in Mexico City; Calgary, Canada; and Gold Coast, Australia. It now operates 127 dealerships across the globe and plans to add more outlets this year to expand further.
