MOTORING


Second-highest sales record for Rolls-Royce


Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has announced its second highest ever annual sales result in the marque’s 113-year history, up six per cent on its 2015 results. A total of 4,011 cars were delivered to customers in more than 50 countries, affirming the brand’s strength and resilience in a year of challenging market conditions for luxury goods worldwide. Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO, said, “This remarkable result emphatically


affirms the global appeal of the very finest British luxury goods to the world’s most discerning patrons. “Rolls-Royce is a true Great British manufacturing success story. We are


Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars


deeply committed to a long term, sustainable, successful growth strategy and this result, amidst a backdrop of global uncertainty, affirms this approach. 2016 has proven the perfect year to sign off the successful first chapter of the renaissance of Rolls-Royce. Success for Rolls-Royce is success for Great Britain and we reaffirm our commitment to maintaining the Home of Rolls-Royce in the UK.” The company recorded its highest-ever sales in key global markets including the Americas (up 12%), Europe (up 28%) and Asia Pacific (up 5%). A number of individual markets also exceeded previous records, notably Japan (up 51%), Germany (up 30%), the UK – the marque’s home market – (up 26%), China (up 23%) and the USA (up 10%). The only major region where conditions remained difficult was the


Middle East where consumer demand for all luxury goods was dampened by economic and political uncertainty. However, despite these challenging market conditions, the Middle East ended the year as the third largest market in 2016, while Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dubai earned the accolade of the highest selling dealership globally.


New sales record for VWCV


Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VWCV) produced a fifth consecutive new UK sales record in 2016, registering over 45,000 new vans. The latest generation Transporter


and Caddy model ranges saw significant sales increases, while the brand’s passenger carriers and campervan registrations took Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ total 2016 registrations to over 50,000, up nearly five per cent on 2015 (47,739). This result means the brand has more than doubled its volume since 2009.


‘VWCV strengthened its number two position in the light commercial vehicles sector’


VWCV strengthened its number


two position in the light commercial vehicles sector, recording a market share of 12.1%. The multi-award winning


Transporter accounted for 22,872 registrations, up over 11% on 2015 (50,533). 8,156 Caddys were registered, down 757 compared to


2016, though Caddy Maxi sales were up over 35% to 6,377, giving total Caddy registrations of 14,533. Both the Amarok and Crafter


models saw small declines in sales as the brand prepares to relaunch the refreshed pick-up and all-new Crafter this year. Commenting on the brand’s


performance, Director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Carl zu Dohna, said: “2016 was a really successful year for the brand. “I’m really proud of my team


and the Van Centre network for achieving this result.”


Volunteers take to the roads


One in five drivers would volunteer to fill in potholes for councils, potentially helping to cut the UK’s huge backlog of road surface repairs. The AA-Populus Driver Poll of 18,000 AA members found that: • 18- to 24-year-olds were the age group most likely to volunteer (29%)


• Drivers in Scotland, West Midlands and London are least likely to volunteer (all 17%) while those in Northern Ireland (25%) are keenest followed by those in the South West (22%)


• More than half (54%) say that those who volunteer should receive a reduction in their Council Tax Bill


While community spirit may


be forthcoming for local authorities, three quarters (75%) said that local councils should not rely on the kindness of residents to deliver services they pay for. The survey also found that


VWCV set a sales record in 2016


any repairs carried out by volunteer teams would still have a long way to go in convincing drivers that their work is satisfactory.


business network February 2017 57


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