Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited is a British luxury automobile maker that has operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of BMW AG since 2003 – as the exclusive manufacturer of Rolls-Royce-branded motor cars. The company's administrative and production headquarters are located at the 42 acre Goodwood plant, close to Goodwood Estate in West Sussex, England, United Kingdom.[4]
From 1906 to 2003, motor cars were manufactured and marketed under the Rolls-Royce brand by Rolls-Royce Limited and Rolls-Royce Motors. The Rolls-Royce Motor Cars subsidiary of BMW AG has no direct relationship to Rolls-Royce-branded vehicles produced before 2003, other than having briefly supplied components and engines. The Bentley Motors Limited subsidiary of Volkswagen AG is the direct successor to Rolls-Royce Motors and various other predecessor entities that produced Rolls-Royce and Bentley branded cars between the foundation of each company and 2003, when the BMW-controlled entity started producing cars under the Rolls-Royce brand.
The BBC called Rolls-Royce "probably one of the most recognised icons in the world", and that "the name Rolls-Royce entered the English language as a superlative."[5]
The company's line of vehicles includes: the Phantom, the top-of-the-line four-door saloon first offered in 2003 and, as of January 2025, offered in two lengths; the smaller Ghost four-door saloon, also offered in two lengths; the Cullinan SUV; and the Spectre coupé, which is Rolls-Royce's first electric car.[6]
History
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited was created as a wholly owned subsidiary of BMW in 1998 after BMW licensed the rights to the Rolls-Royce brand name and logo from Rolls-Royce Holdings plc,[7] and acquired the rights to the Spirit of Ecstasy and Rolls-Royce grille shape trademarks from Volkswagen AG. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited has been manufacturing Rolls-Royce branded cars since 2003.
Although the Rolls-Royce brand has been in use since 1906, the fate of the brand diverged between 1998 and 2003. In 2003, the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars subsidiary of BMW AG, which had been a major supplier to the brand up to 2003, began manufacturing vehicles with the Rolls-Royce name. Volkswagen AG took ownership of the Bentley name as well as previous Rolls-Royce production facilities and previous Rolls-Royce designs.
Former chief executive Torsten Müller-Ötvös joined the company in January 2010, with a pledge to regain the quality standards that made Rolls-Royce famous. That year sales in China increased by 600%, making it the company's second largest market after the US.[8]
On October 5, 2023, Rolls-Royce announced that Müller-Ötvös will be retiring as CEO on November 30 after 14 years.
List of CEOs
Current: Chris Brownridge (since December 2023)[15]
Products
Current
Phantom
- Rolls-Royce unveiled the new Phantom at "The Great Eight Phantoms Exhibit", which would go into production at the end of 2017, with sales starting in 2018. This is the current Flagship Model and the most expensive production car made by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
- A facelifted model, dubbed the Series II was revealed on May 12, 2022 has received subtle exterior changes and four additional wheel options.
- The Phantom comes in two lengths: a standard version and an extended wheelbase version which added 200 mm of length, exclusively for the rear passengers. The extended version is the longest sedan currently in production.
Ghost (Second Generation)
- The Current Rolls-Royce Ghost was unveiled on 1 September 2020 as a Rolls-Royce's current entry model.
Sales
The all-time high record of sales (beginning in 2005) was achieved in 2023, at 6,032 cars, topping 2022 sales by 11 cars. In 2011, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited sold 3,538 cars, an increase of 31 percent compared to 2010, beating the previous sales record from 1978. The strong sales growth occurred in the Asia Pacific region, Britain and the Middle East with sales increases of 47 percent, 30 percent and 23 percent respectively.[32]
Charity
In 2014, the company designed a silver coloured Rolls-Royce-themed Paddington Bear statue—"The Spirit of Paddington"—which was located in Berkeley Square Gardens (one of fifty located around London prior to the release of the film Paddington) and was auctioned to raise funds for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).[50]
See also
Further reading
- Richard Feast, Kidnap of the Flying Lady: How Germany Captured Both Rolls Royce and Bentley, Motorbooks (2003), ISBN 978-0760316863
- John Rowland and Martin Henley, The Rolls-Royce Men: The Story of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce, Publisher: Lutterworth Press (1968); ASIN: B000COH9WQ
External links
- Rolls-Royce changes gear by Jorn Madslien, BBC News 4 March 2007, 17:55 GMT
References
- https://www.rolls-royce.com/about/leadership/executive-leadership-team.aspx^
- Rolls-Royce Engineering Lead Jonathan Simms talks about engineering the Ghost Autoblog, retrieved 3 September 2020^
- Rolls-Royce Designer Henry Cloke talks about the design aspect Autoblog, retrieved 3 September 2020^