Rolls-Royce sales 'probably' lower this year
FRANKFURT, September 16, 2015
British carmaker Rolls-Royce Motors will sell fewer cars in 2015 than last year, its chief executive told Reuters on Tuesday, echoing comments made recently by other luxury automakers hit by cooling demand in China.
British carmaker Rolls-Royce Motors will sell fewer cars in 2015 than last year, its chief executive told Reuters on Tuesday, echoing comments made recently by other luxury automakers hit by cooling demand in China, the world's biggest car market.
Last year Rolls-Royce sold a record 4,063 cars but sales of the BMW-owned brand are down 10.3 percent in the year to July at 2,035 vehicles and CEO Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes said growth in other markets will not fully make up for a decline in Chinese demand.
"Our other markets are doing very well ... (and) nicely compensated for some of that loss in volume we have seen in China but ... we are probably not able even until the end of the year to fully compensate for that," Mueller-Oetvoes said.
Consequently he said the firm was "probably not any longer likely" to beat its record sales last year but would end "probably on a number close to that".
Rolls-Royce launched its new Dawn convertible at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week, with the aim of widening its appeal to more women and younger drivers. – Reuters