As you probably know, Rolls-Royce had a record year in 2008, selling more cars and making more profits then ever. Of course they want to continue that as much as possible. The amazing thing is, according to Chief Executive Tom Purves, Rolls-Royce expects sales for 2009 to remain flat in comparison to 2008. In the midst of a severe economic downturn where every automaker has been hit, that is extremely impressive.
The Phantom has been doing very well for itself, with the new variants Coupe and Drophead Coupe helping to increase sales in 2008 from 1010 to 1212 units, a 20 percent increase.
For future growth though, Rolls-Royce is counting on the Ghost to grow the brand. At the Reuters Global Luxury Summit in London,Tom Purves commented on the world tour with the 200EX prototype, saying it generated ”overwhelmingly positive” feedback. Over 10,000 people have expressed interest in the car, but at least “15 percent have expressed a genuine desire to own the vehicle” according to Purves. That works out to around 1,500 people seriously interested and placing orders for the Ghost.
With 1212 cars sold last year, that more then doubles Rolls-Royce’s sales volume! Now you see why Rolls-Royce wanted to make a smaller car? Over 150 new jobs have been created at Goodwood to produce the Ghost, which will share wood, leather and paint shops with the Phantom. At the end of the year, that will mean Rolls-Royce has added 400 new jobs in 2 years, bringing total production workforce to 900.
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