World 2013: One in every 2.5 Rolls Royce sold in China

Rolls-Royce presented the $1.6m Phantom Pinnacle Travel Collection in Beijing this week.

* Click on title to see the Global, China and US sales of 6 luxury manufacturers! *

Global, China and US sales of luxury manufacturers are a rare find so I trust you’ll enjoy this…

According to an April 22 China Daily article, China accounted for a staggering 39% of Rolls Royce global sales in 2013. The British manufacturer, who presented the Phantom Pinnacle Travel Collection at the Beijing Auto Show – rumoured to go for at least $1.6 million, delivered a 4th consecutive year of record Global sales at 3,630 units, up 1.5% on 2013. China sales however were up 11% over the period to reach an all-time high 1,400 units, or 1 in every 2.5 Rolls-Royce sold worldwide! Rolls-Royce added 7 new dealerships in China last year, extending its coverage to 20 cities across the country.

2013 Maserati sales were up a huge 334% in China to represent 25% of the brand’s Global sales.

Whereas the overall Chinese market grew 14% in 2013, paradoxically most luxury brands lost ground due to more restrictive government measures on luxury buying. Bentley dropped 2.8% to 2,191 sales (22% of Global sales), Ferrari was at -5.5% to 554 units and Lamborghini down a harsh 16.7% to 267 sales due to a delivery shortage of Gallardos, the most popular Lamborghini model in China. Only Porsche (+19.9%) and most spectacularly Maserati, up a whopping 334% year-on-year, saw their results improved last year in China.

Chinese Lamborghini sales were down 16.7% in 2013. Temporary set-back?

This doesn’t deter Andrea Baldi, Lamborghini China head: “Super sports cars currently only hold about 0.1% of the passenger car segment in China, whereas this figure is 1 to 2% in Western countries. So the potential is there.” As for Ferrari, the Chinese decline is in line with Global sales (-5.4%) and the manufacturer’s aim to reduce sales to maintain the brand’s luxury status and increase the cars’ value. Bentley’s Chinese decline can be attributed to the Flying Spur model change: zero delivers for the first 9 months but 927 during Q4, while the Continental GT improved by 46% year-on-year. China loves luxury, and is set to become the world’s largest market in this segment as well within the next 5 years. Source: China Daily

Full Year 2013 Global, China and US sales for 6 luxury manufacturers below.