Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Aston Martin are posting record sales figures despite the slump in the global market. It appears that luxury brands have never been so popular as in these pandemic times. But why?
The iconic Rolls-Royce sold some 5,586 cars in 2021, a figure that's up 49% in one year, but above all a record number for the auto brand! Rolls-Royce is not the only manufacturer to have broken its records last year, it is joined by Bentley, with 14,659 car sales, an increase of 31% in one year. The latest example of how well the luxury car industry is doing is Aston Martin, which saw its sales increase by 82% in one year, with a total of 6,180 units sold. In every instance, these sales figures were particularly strong in America, Asia and especially in China.
So how can we explain this phenomenon? First of all, these brands are becoming more and more diversified. They are now in tune with the times, with the arrival of new models in their catalogs, including SUVs like the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, the Bentley Bentayga and the Aston Martin DBX. They also promise to go electric soon. Rolls-Royce has already unveiled its very first 100% electric model, Spectre, which should be on sale by the end of 2023. Bentley is already offering a plug-in hybrid version of the Bentayga and is working on an electric sedan, inspired by the EXP 100 GT concept. Finally, Aston Martin has already announced that its next generations of the Vantage and DB11 will be electric and that it will launch a brand new fully electric model in 2025.
Another growth factor is that the "ultra-rich" have traveled much less in 2021, due to the pandemic, and have thus been able to treat themselves to a new luxury car. Demand has thus never been so strong, especially in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
