Rolls-Royce, the ultraluxury centenarian automaker, sold more cars in 2011 than it has in any year in its 107-year history, its owner BMW AG has announced.
While breaking a sales record that stood for 33 years, Rolls0-Royce sold 3,538 cars last year, most notably via the Ghost Extended Wheelbase model, which debuted in April 2011.
The new sales figures marked a 31 percent increase from Rolls Royce sales in 2010.
Rolls-Royce’s previous annual sales record dates to 1978, when it sold 3,347 cars.
“We had an outstanding year,” Rolls-Royce brand chief Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes said in a statement. “We’re expanding our dealership network, entering new markets such as South America and expanding our production facility in Goodwood to meet rising demand worldwide,” Mueller-Oetvoes said. “We’re also planning to further develop our model lineup.”
A Rolls-Royce representative said demand for the Rolls-Royce Bespoke program, which customizes the cars according to the buyer’s wishes, was on a record level. Customers can choose unique colors or add champagne sets or a humidor to store cigars.
Article Last Updated: December 31, 2014.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.