Tokyo-based Cornes Motors, Ltd., agent for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in Japan, has been expanding their sales efforts around the country, and have announced plans to open six new sales outlets in Hiroshima Prefecture over the coming year. In August, the firm also opened a new maintenance facility in Tokyo’s Koto Ward.
The Nikkei Marketing Journal (NMJ) reported on 7 October that the 156 units sold in 2015 represent a 1.5% year-on-year (YoY) gain, marking the sixth consecutive year of increased sales.
“Popularity among sports car enthusiasts explains the appeal of the four-seater Dawn convertible (¥37,400,000)”, explained Rolls-Royce Motor Cars chief executive Torsten Müller-Ötvös.
According to data from the Japan Automobile Importers Association, sales of imported passenger cars retailing for ¥10–20 million reached 13,605 units in the first nine months of 2016, an increase of 18.6% YoY. Meanwhile, sales of super-luxury motor models priced at ¥20 million or more, grew 11.9% YoY, for a total of 1,970 units.
The NMJ article notes that, as super-luxury models are custom built, delivery of orders tends to vary depending on the situation on the manufacturing side. Thus, the number of units to be sold is known half a year in advance and, an executive from the firm was quoted as having said, looking at the picture for the coming six months, it appears “favourable”.
Encouraging future developments in the super-luxury segment include plans by Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini to introduce SUV models by the 2018 model year—following on the heels of Bentley’s highly rated Bentayga—and trends that show growth in the number of vehicles owned per person.
Poor performance in the stock markets since the beginning of 2016 has negatively impacted domestic demand for passenger cars in the general market. But the effect on sales of high-end luxury models appears to have been negligible.