The BMW-owned luxury nameplate posted annual sales of 4,107, a rise of 22 per cent, after the introduction of its flagship Phantom vehicle and the launch of its first sport utility vehicle, the Cullinan. Its highest-selling model was the Ghost. Ultra-wealthy buyers in the US, spurred by tax cuts, helped its North American sales to reach record levels, accounting for a third of sales.
The UK also had a record year in 2018, accounting for 10 per cent of sales, in spite of a decline in the overall car market, while every other region for Rolls-Royce experienced growth. Rolls-Royce sales in China rose by 40 per cent last year, in spite of a slowdown across the wider luxury sector. About 20 per cent of the company’s business is in China, with 20 per cent in Europe, with the rest split between the Middle East and the rest of the Asia-Pacific region.
Rolls-Royce hand-builds all of its cars at Goodwood on the English coast, and imports 92 per cent of its parts from overseas, leaving the company facing the potential for significant cost increases following Brexit if the UK is hit with tariffs with the rest of the world.
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