Demand for Rolls-Royce Cullinan heavily outstrips supply

Rolls-Royce is struggling to meet demand for its new luxury SUV.

Despite a 200 per cent increase in staff at its Goodwood factory to 2,000, Cullinan production is at full capacity to meet an order list that reportedly stretches to July and is only set to get longer.

Speaking to Automotive News, Martin Fritsches, chief executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Americas, said: “I would like to have a little bit more supply, and I don’t get it because we are running on 100 per cent of production capacity, increasing it throughout the weeks and months, but still not being able to catch up to demand.”

Following the increasingly popular Cullinan’s reveal last May, 2018 proved to be Rolls-Royce’s most successful year in a 115-year history, selling 4,107 cars despite the SUV not reaching customers until the latter half of the year. It’s fair to assume 2019 could build on that still.

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, chief executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said: “2018 was a most successful, record-breaking year for Rolls-Royce. We have seen growth in all our regions around the world. At Rolls-Royce, we are deeply focused on each and every one of our customers and are delivering on their demanding expectations.”

Last year, an additional 23 people were also enrolled on the firm’s apprenticeship programme, which has been completed by more than 100 candidates since its inception in 2006.