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Bugatti and Rolls-Royce set annual sales records in 2022

Most of the carmakers positioned on the industry's upper echelons ended 2021 on a high note, and many posted even better sales figures in 2022. Bugatti and Rolls-Royce independently announced that they set new sales records in 2022 and noted that the future looks bright. Bugatti is one of the smallest car companies so its record might not initially sound impressive: it delivered 80 cars in 2022, which is exactly the number it predicted at the beginning of that year. If that seems like a rounding error, keep in mind that every car it offers is a hand-built, limited-edition model with a price tag pegged well into the six digits. Viewed in that light, making and delivering 80 cars is an impressive feat. That number includes the 400th example of the sold-out Chiron, the last nine units of the Chiron Super Sport 300+, and the 10 planned examples of the Centodieci. Bugatti points out that 80 cars is a record for the Molsheim factory, which was inaugurated in France in 2005. Bugatti has its work cut out for the coming years. It needs to build the final units of the Chiron, the 99 examples of the Mistral (pictured), and the 40 units of the track-only Bolide. All of these cars are sold-out so the firm currently doesn't have a car to sell but that's set to change soon: Bugatti-Rimac CEO Mate Rimac pledged to release more details about Bugatti's future in the second half of 2023, and he added that "Bugatti will honor its rich motorsport heritage and its connection with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which celebrates its centenary year." Across the English Channel, Rolls-Royce delivered 6,021 cars in 2022, an increase of 8% compared to 2021 and its first annual result above the 6,000-unit mark. The company notes that these cars went to customers in about 50 different countries. Demand for personalized cars was at an all-time high in 2022 and the average selling price of a Rolls-Royce now stands at approximately ˆ500,000 (around $536,000). Rolls-Royce's biggest market remains the United States, where sales increased in 2022, followed by China, where sales posted a single-digit drop due to COVID-related lockdowns and other headwinds blowing across the nation. Sales in Europe increased in 2022 as well in spite of the war in Ukraine; Germany and the United Kingdom are among the nations that posted record sales in 2022. Interestingly, one of Rolls-Royce's largest Asian markets is South Korea, and more Bespoke orders came from the Middle East than from any other region.

Rolls-Royce Arcadia Droptail unveiled as the third in a four-car series

If you're wealthy, you buy a new Rolls-Royce. If you're extremely wealthy, you work directly with the brand to design a one-of-a-kind car from the ground up. The firm has revealed its latest one-off, a convertible named Arcadia Droptail, and detailed the long development process. Built for an anonymous client in Singapore, the Arcadia Droptail borrows the first part of its name from a place known as "heaven on Earth" in Greek mythology. Rolls-Royce explains that the design perfectly reflects the customer's tastes and personality, including a passion for architecture and a subtle, restrained take on the concept of luxury. This likely explains why there's not much in the way of bright trim on the outside; instead, the Arcadia Droptail is characterized by a soft and almost organic design while remaining recognizable as a Rolls-Royce. Working directly with the customer, the brand put a great deal of thought into picking a color: the shade of white chosen is infused with aluminum and glass particles for a pearl-like effect that adds depth. These details help the Arcadia stand out from the two existing Droptail models unveiled in 2023. The overall design remains largely unchanged with an upright grille, thin rear lights, and a rounded back end. Santos Straight Grain wood trim dominates the interior and creates another link between cars and boats. Rolls-Royce explains that this was one of the most challenging parts of the project: Santos Straight Grain is difficult to work with, and the client plans to use the car all around the world so the trim needs to withstand wildly different temperatures and humidity levels. The brand initially considered applying the type of coating used in yachts but ruled it out because it needs to be re-applied on a regular basis. Instead, it went through the trouble of developing a specific lacquer that lasts for the life of the car. It adds that this part of the build required over 8,000 hours of work, including testing. The clock embedded into the dashboard was created in-house as well; it took over two years to develop and five months to make. Referred to as "the most complex Rolls-Royce clock face ever created," it features a guilloche pattern with 119 facets and hand-polished parts. Rolls-Royce hasn't published technical specifications. We're guessing that power comes from a V12 engine. All told, designing the Arcadia Droptail took over four years. There's no word on how much the project cost.

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost has a fascinating new part to make it one of the most comfortable cars in the world

One of the neat things about Rolls-Royce is the extraordinary lengths the company will go to for maximum comfort. It's like how supercar builders will look for every little advantage to make their cars a tenth of a second faster. On the 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost, the company is employing something called the Planar Suspension System, a nebulous designation for the collection of systems and parts employed. Some are straight forward, such as the four-wheel independent air suspension, and the way the GPS and forward cameras inform what level of firmness should be employed on the road. But one part left us perplexed: the upper control arm damper. We spoke to Jon Simms, lead engineer for the Ghost, for more information, and now we have a better grasp on what it is and what it does. As for what it is, it's the roughly horseshoe-shaped object highlighted in purple in the above photo. The yellow parts are bumpstops, and it's mounted on the same joint as the upper control arm. And it turns out it's a pretty simple piece of equipment. It works very much like the harmonic balancer on the end of an engine. It's a weight with a rubber-y flexible hinge, and going over smaller bumps, it absorbs some of the extra vibration and movement from the suspension. Those bumpstops in yellow give the damper some extra purchase on the control arm, and they absorb impacts from larger bumps that may move the control arm suddenly so that the arm and damper don't bang into each other. This may seem like a pretty minor thing, but remember, Rolls-Royce and its buyers are out for maximum comfort, so there's reason to invest in ironing out every possible ride quality issue, no matter the size. And even if it's a minor improvement, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Simms told us that existing Ghost customers they talked to during development had one key request about the driving experience: "don't break it." So making sure that the new car was basically like the last one, but a bit better, would seem to be what customers would want. 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost View 29 Photos The Ghost is the first Rolls-Royce to adopt this full suite of Planar Suspension System parts, though other Rolls-Royce models have had pieces of the system. And considering the fact the Ghost shares its platform with the Phantom and Cullinan, now, we wouldn't be surprised if later versions of those models pick-up parts like this damper. Related Video: