Stately progress for Rolls

Sales of British luxury automotive brands continue on their stellar upward trajectories. Last month I reported on the burgeoning fortunes of Land Rover and Jaguar, since when both Rolls-Royce and Bentley have reported remarkable sales figures.

For Rolls the news was that in 2013 it sold 3630 Phantoms, Ghosts and Wraiths, a new record for the company. Its dealer network is steadily expanding: 15 opened in 2013 alone, bringing the total to a record 120. You can now buy a new Rolls-Royce in locations as diverse as Hanoi, Manila, Lagos and Beirut.

Back at Goodwood 100 new jobs are to be created in 2014, bringing the total number of Rolls-Royce employees around the world to 1300.

Over at Bentley the news is no less encouraging. It too had a record year, selling 10,120 Continentals, Flying Spurs and Mulsannes, a stunning improvement on the 8510 sold in 2012 and the best total in the company’s 95-year history. These figures are particularly encouraging because they don’t include a full year of sales for the new Flying Spur and represent a better than doubling of sales since the crash of 2008. Moreover with the Crewe-engineered and built SUV now officially given the green light, the potential for volumes to rise close to 20,000 is clear to see.