VFACTS January 2022: Rolls-Royce reports zero cars as sold

Luxury car maker Rolls-Royce did not report a single car as sold in Australia during January 2022 – despite averaging more than four deliveries per month over the previous two years.

Throughout 2021 it delivered 48 cars in total, and delivered at least two vehicles to customers each month.

Last January it reported seven vehicles as sold, and the BMW-owned marque found two buyers in the same month a year prior.

Rolls-Royce – which has an average entry-level price of approximately $800,000 – currently offers five models locally: the Cullinan SUV, Ghost large sedan, Phantom flagship limousine, Wraith coupe and Dawn convertible.

It’s unclear if the January 2022 slump was prompted by supply shortages, curtailing demand, or a delivery delay.

However, luxury and prestige car sales skyrocketed in most countries – including Australia – throughout the COVID-19 crisis, as the well-heeled treat themselves to a new vehicle amid international travel restrictions.

Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Otvös told the Financial Times the spread of a deadly pandemic had helped boost demand.

“Quite a lot of people witnessed people in their community dying from COVID-19. That makes them think life can be short, and you’d better live now than postpone it to a later date … That has helped [Rolls-Royce] quite massively.”