Despite the crisis and shortage, the luxury car was a hit

The boss of this division of the Volkswagen Group admitted to being particularly proud “of the care and attention which [ses équipes] this extraordinary influx of orders.” Because despite the sacrifice of less profitable models of the Volkswagen Group, Lamborghini suffered from a shortage of semiconductors and electronic components. What will extend delivery times and put dealers in the obligation to wait for customers who are known to be demanding.

In fact, the higher the price paid, the greater the buyer’s impatience. However, bad luck would have it that at the beginning of last year, Lamborghini lost 85 new cars at sea, following a fire that destroyed the car carrier “Felicity Ace”. These cars include fifteen Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae, difficult to replace as they are among the last examples of this supercar at the end of its career. Also on board is the latest Lamborghini, equipped with a V12 engine without any electrical assistance: a historic model that the manufacturer has made to replace and reproduce identically for its client.

For its part, Bentley lost 189 new cars after the same fire. Cars contributing to the historic mark of 15,174 vehicles delivered in 2022 (+ 4%) by the English manufacturer, a member of the Volkswagen Group. For the first time in its history, Bentley has delivered more than fifteen thousand cars in twelve months.

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Luxury specialists were able to pay for the cessation of their deliveries to Russia

This may seem low, given the 309,884 vehicles that Porsche delivered last year worldwide. But another member of the Volkswagen Group doesn’t play in the same category as Bentley and Lamborghini. Less than sixty thousand euros is really enough to leave behind the wheel of the most average of Porsche cars. Like his English and Italian counterparts, Porsche marketing and sales boss Detlev von Platen congratulated his teams for managing “the challenges posed by the war in Ukraine, supply disruptions and the lack of semiconductor”. The manufacturer ends the year 2022 with a 3% increase in its global deliveries, and 7% in Europe. China fell 2%, North America remained stable, but exports as a whole grew 13%.

Like Lamborghini and Porsche, Bentley sells more SUVs than coupes or sedans

The Bentayga SUV remains Bentley’s most popular model – by far, as it represents 42% of total sales. Remarkable fact, despite its six years old, this Rolls-Royce Cullinan rival continues to increase its circulation. As for the Bentley Continental GT coupé and convertibles, they account for 30% of sales, against 28% for the Bentley Flying Spur limousine.

Also readPorsches, Lamborghinis and Bentleys lost at sea are worth 353 million euros

“Our business has weathered the headwinds,” said Adrian Hallmark, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bentley Motors. “This third consecutive sales record demonstrates the strength of our brand, our operational excellence, as well as the strong demand for our models.” In particular, the manufacturer emphasizes the good reception given to the hybrid variants (petrol-electric): they are just a step in the “Bentley Beyond 100” plan that provides for the complete electrification of the range by 2030.

Up 8% by 2022, Rolls-Royce delivers more than 6,000 cars a year for the first time

Also at Rolls-Royce, the conversion to electric is well underway. Its deadline is set for 2030, just like Bentley’s. Some observers have suggested that part of the increase in sales of very high-end luxury car specialists can be explained by an expectation effect, where some customers prefer to treat themselves to beauty of the good old internal combustion engine while there is still time. . Perhaps for the long-sighted speculation in the car collector market.

Rolls-Royce broke its delivery record in 2022

The boss of Rolls-Royce removed this hypothesis, he who accepts the reception given by his customers to the very first 100% electric Rolls. “The level of orders for the Specter coupé has far exceeded our expectations,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös. The reasons for the increase in sales lie elsewhere.

Like Bentley and Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce has stopped delivering to Russia. But the three manufacturers compensated for this shortfall (about 300 Rolls-Royces were delivered to Russia in 2021) by increasing demand in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Enough to offset the slowdown in China. “We delivered 6,021 cars precisely,” trumpeted Rolls-Royce big boss Torsten Müller-Ötvös. This is the first time that the English manufacturer under the German flag (Rolls-Royce is part of the BMW Group) has exceeded the bar of six thousand annual deliveries.