The renowned brand of premium luxury automobiles, Rolls Royce, had an exceptionally successful 2023 with strong sales and demand for their products worldwide...

Each car hand-built at Rolls-Royce includes some element of the "Bespoke" program, the company's unique offering that allows for personalization possibilities limited only by the client's imagination. In 2023, "Bespoke" orders reached new record levels in both value and number; the technical innovations required for the delivery of specific projects led Rolls-Royce to file several new patents during the year. In 2023, more Rolls-Royce cars were delivered to clients around the world than in any other year in the brand's 119-year history.

To mark 20 years of production at Goodwood, Rolls-Royce commissioned an independent study on the economic impact of the brand, which calculated its total contribution to the UK economy at over £4 billion since 2003, and now over £500 million annually. In 2023, the company created 180 new jobs at its Global Centre for Luxury Manufacturing, while over 130 people joined the company's "Talent of the Future" program in apprenticeship, internship, or graduate work positions.

The brand also announced plans for significant new investments to modernize and upgrade its manufacturing facilities to enhance its "Bespoke" and "Coachbuild" capabilities and support the production of its future fully electric product portfolio.

In 2023, Rolls-Royce further enhanced its capabilities in industry-leading luxury experience - a significant growth area within the luxury sector. The brand's global network of private offices, which offers clients a highly personalized ordering and ownership experience, expanded to Shanghai in 2023. This unique program, which began with the Dubai private office in July 2022, offers clients direct access to Rolls-Royce designers and engineers. The impact of these new international private offices has already been significant, with a marked increase in the number and complexity of "Bespoke" orders. This program will be extended with two new international locations in 2024.

Additionally, the brand's "Whispers" app saw a significant increase in engagement. Reserved exclusively for Rolls-Royce clients from the Goodwood era, the digital members' club allows users to access exclusive products and experiences selected from the brand's wider network within the luxury industry, further establishing the brand as a focal point in the lives of owners.

BESPOKE: From Strength to Power

Rolls-Royce Bespoke offers each client the opportunity to express their personality through their car - an unparalleled experience enjoyed by all clients in 2023. The ability to personalize any and every aspect of their car, in partnership with design and engineering specialists at the Rolls-Royce factory, drives demand for their cars among patrons and fans of the brand worldwide. In 2023, "Bespoke" orders reached new record levels in both number and value, with many of the most creative and technically demanding originating in the Middle East.

"Bespoke" projects completed in 2023 included many firsts for the brand, including numerous technical innovations, such as the scent-release mechanism hidden in the headrests of the Phantom Syntopia, which contained technology originally developed for medical applications, while many "Bespoke" paint finishes achieved in 2023 required entirely new materials, techniques, and formulations to achieve.

Last year's orders also created new opportunities in the use of rare and beautiful materials and complex techniques. These included exquisite use of mother-of-pearl for 'The Pearl Cullinan'; hand-perforated leather seats for Black Badge Cullinan Blue Shadow; Starlight Headliners featuring stunning celestial animations for Black Badge Ghost Ékleipsis; and exquisite hand-painted art galleries for Phantom 'Inspired by Cinque Terre'.

LANDMARK YEAR FOR COACHBUILD

"Bespoke" finds its ultimate expression in "Coachbuild," a demanding and highly collaborative process in which Rolls-Royce and the client jointly create every detail of the car, including its physical form. In 2023, the brand introduced Droptail, the first true two-seater roadster produced by Rolls-Royce in more than half a century. Only four examples of the Droptail model will ever be constructed, and each highly individual, deeply personal project reexamines the boundaries for materials, manufacturing techniques, technical innovations, and creativity, not just for the automotive sector but for the broader luxury industry.

ANNUAL GLOBAL SALES RESULTS 2023

In total, in over 50 countries worldwide, Rolls-Royce delivered 6,032 cars to clients – more than ever before in the brand's 119-year history.

While the first half of the year marked the end of production for Rolls-Royce Wraith (introduced in 2013) and Dawn (2015) as planned, the fourth quarter saw the first deliveries of the Rolls-Royce Spectre, laying the foundations for a bold electric future in which the brand plans to produce only fully electric cars by the end of 2030.

This strong sales performance should be viewed in the context of Rolls-Royce's fundamental, consistent position that it is not and never will be a volume-driven business. As a luxury house, their goal is to meet and exceed their clients' expectations by creating not just "the best car in the world," but a car that best represents them and their personality. The global demand for Rolls-Royce products and ownership experience reflects the technical excellence, creative spirit, and meticulous attention to detail that the company brings to this process, which clients can't find anywhere else.

GLOBAL AND REGIONAL SALES

Rolls-Royce reports sales growth in most of the markets in which it operates, with deliveries reaching new record levels in the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and Europe regions.

The USA was the single largest market for Rolls-Royce worldwide, while China confirmed its status as the brand's second largest market. Record sales were achieved in Europe, where the UK is the largest single market. Supported by the Dubai Private Office, the Middle East retained its position as the leading source of highly complex and technically demanding "Bespoke" orders. Record annual sales and year-on-year growth in the Asia-Pacific region were driven by a strong performance in Korea, whose dynamic, vibrant economy is reflected in a rapidly growing luxury market.

CULLINAN LEADS THE WAY, WITH STRONG SALES FOR ALL MODELS

As in 2022, Cullinan was the most requested Rolls-Royce model worldwide, followed by Ghost. Phantom continues to dominate as the brand's flagship product.

As planned, in 2023 Rolls-Royce ceased production of Wraith (introduced in 2013) and Dawn (2015). With the withdrawal of the Wraith model from the lineup, Rolls-Royce produced its last V12 coupe, a historic moment marked by the impressive Black Badge Wraith Black Arrow Collection. Released in March and limited to just 12 examples, the "Bespoke" craftsmanship visible in these historic models was inspired by the world land speed records set in 1938 at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah by Captain George Eyston in Thunderbolt, a seven-ton, eight-wheeled beast powered by two Rolls-Royce 'R' V12 aero engines.

SPECTRE

Rolls-Royce introduced Spectre to the world in October 2022, with production starting in late summer 2023 and the first cars delivered to clients in the fall. The first fully electric Rolls-Royce in history has attracted enormous interest worldwide, especially among younger clients, setting a clear direction of travel and establishing a solid foundation for the brand's bold electric future.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

In 2023, Rolls-Royce marked the first 20 years of production in Goodwood by commissioning an independent study on the economic impact achieved by the company. The study, conducted by a team from the London School of Economics (LSE), calculated the total contribution of the Rolls-Royce brand to the British economy at over £4 billion since 2003, now more than £500 million annually.

About a fifth of that contribution is made directly in Chichester and West Sussex, through local supply chains and employment of the local workforce. There are now over 2,500 people working at the Rolls-Royce home in Goodwood; just in 2023 alone, 180 new jobs were created.

FUTURE TALENT

As one of the largest employers in the Chichester area, Rolls-Royce continues to invest in its people through extensive ongoing training programs and its "Future Talent" program. Established in 2006, this program supports over 100 apprenticeships, graduate placements, and paid internships each year, ensuring that the brand's talent pool can always meet the ongoing demand for products and "Bespoke" orders. In 2023, the company welcomed 27 apprentices, who will spend between two and four years learning specialist craft skills alongside experienced colleagues while studying for nationally recognized vocational qualifications. The new cohort also includes degree apprentices, who will complete their undergraduate studies at the nearby University of Chichester.

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

In 2023, Rolls-Royce submitted plans for a major new investment to modernize and upgrade its manufacturing facilities. The plans will enhance and expand the brand's "Bespoke" and "Coachbuild" capabilities, as well as support the production of its future fully electric product portfolio. This significant investment represents the largest single injection of new capital at the Rolls-Royce home since the site opened in 2003. This reflects the scale of the transformation in the company's size, activities, commercial success, and global influence over the past two decades.

While over this time the existing plant has undergone significant internal changes – most notably transitioning from two production lines to one – the building itself is essentially the same as it was on day one. Then, it employed around 300 people and produced just one motor car a day.

Following extensive consultations with local residents, in late summer 2023 the company submitted a formal planning application for an extension to the Rolls-Royce home at Goodwood on land immediately adjacent to its existing 42-acre site. The plans take into account the site's unique location, on the southwest corner of the historic Goodwood Estate and close to the South Downs National Park boundary. Like the original building, the new extension will be highly sustainable and largely invisible at ground level beyond the site. Around one-third of the new site will be landscaped, reflecting the company's ongoing commitment to supporting local wildlife and biodiversity.