2022 is a historic year for automotive luxury

This is a crisis, or rather, a polycrisis. Well, not for everyone. One sector did well in 2022, the luxury car sector with record sales. Some brands even had their best years in their history, while the rest of the automotive market is struggling to survive the pandemic and suffering from a global shortage of semiconductors.

As with mainstream cars, SUVs are all about luxury

Rolls Royce

In its 118 years of existence, British manufacturer Rolls-Royce has never sold as many cars as it did in 2022, when just 6,021 cars were sold, featuring the famous “Flying Lady” on the grille. This figure represents an 8% increase in deliveries compared to 2021.to customers in nearly 50 countriesRolls-Royce added that its main markets were USA, China and Europe.

Although the company does not detail sales volumes for each model, Rolls-Royce said the best-selling car in 2022 was the Cullinan, an SUV house priced at €340,000.

As with more common brands, the popular “Sport Utility Vehicle” in good English drives sales in the world of exceptional cars. This trend is also seen in Bentley or Lamborghini.

Bentley

Bentley also had a historic year with Rolls-Royce, a joint venture until 1998, when it was bought by the German Volkswagen group. For the first time in the history of the British manufacturer, in 2022, exactly 15,174 units were sold, surpassing the 15,000 car mark. A 4% increase over the previous year, which had already set a record. As with its former sister company, the main markets were the US, China and Europe respectively. Yet the home SUV, the Bentayga, took the lead with 42% of the total! Entry ticket: €180,000.

Automotive luxury isn’t just about British limousines with interiors worthy of the best London clubs, welcoming you with plenty of Connolly leather and gray walnut, it’s also about fiery Italian sports cars…preferably red.

Lamborghini

For once, let’s start with bulls instead of racing cars adorned with horseshoeing horses. At Lamborghini, part of the Volkswagen group, 2022 also ended in a record year with 9,233 sales, a first for the Sant’Agata Bolognese marque. 10% more expensive than before, it’s still an SUV that does well in this exercise. Selling from €205,000, 5,367 copies of the monstrous Urus have found buyers in the last 12 months. .

Ferrari

While Maranello’s neighbors Ferrari have yet to release their figures for 2022, everything points to this year being exceptional. In August of last year, the Italian manufacturer said that sales in the first six months of last year exceeded sales in the first six months of 2021 by more than 1,250, which was a remarkable total of 11,155 vehicles. . While waiting for Ferrari to report its total sales, the firm also unveiled its SUV in September last year, which is already generating genuine enthusiasm. Indeed, it is no longer possible to sign an order form to purchase Purosangue. Despite the starting price of 390,000 euros, all copies of this four-door car, planned for the next two years, are actually reserved. The sales curve is unlikely to bend.

Bugatti

Even higher in terms of exclusivity, Bugatti, another brand of the VW galaxy, also broke the record in 2022. The French manufacturer has indeed unveiled 80 hyper sports cars that it has never made. The 400th copy of the Chiron, which has been produced in the Molsheim workshops since 2016, was also delivered among these hand-built cars that cost more than 2.5 million euros. An important detail: the brand was founded by Ettore Bugatti at the beginning of the year. last century does not offer SUVs. For now?

Porsche

If any luxury car brand can tap into its customers’ interest in SUVs, it’s Porsche. The initiator of these models was the German manufacturer belonging to the Volkswagen group. When the Stuttgart firm launched its first four-door hatchback, the Cayenne, in 2002, many of the brand’s fans cried foul. They were wrong. Again last year, with at least 95,604 units, this SUV was the best-selling car, ahead of its little brother the Macan and its 86,724 units. The iconic 911 is in third place with 40,410 out of a total of 309,884 vehicles, an impressive total for a premium automaker.

It needs to be rediscovered

Last October, the European Union ratified the end of sales of new thermal vehicles in 2035. From this date, the goal is to reduce CO2 emissions to zero by offering only 100% electric vehicles. .

Manufacturers producing fewer than 10,000 vehicles a year, usually luxury brands, will have to comply with the new agreement, even if they are allowed to sell combustion-engine cars for one more year. paradigm. There are no V8s and V12s with more than 500 horsepower, which emit more CO2 on average.

Some brands already offer electric vehicles in their range. Porsche has been marketing the Taycan since 2019, with 34,801 units sold in 2022. Rolls-Royce will also introduce its first all-electric Spectre this year. Pre-orders for this large coupe for over €420,000″exceeded expectations“, assures the brand, adding that the first deliveries are expected in the fourth quarter of 2023.