By Dominic Chopping
Luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce will expand its U.K. manufacturing base to cater to increasing demand for customized versions of its vehicles.
It will invest more than 300 million pounds ($374 million) at its factory and headquarters in Goodwood, south east England, after seeing record growth in demand for bespoke cars last year.
The company said the investment secures its future in the U.K., adding capacity for increasingly complex and high-value bespoke projects while also readying the manufacturing facility for its transition to an all-battery electric vehicle brand.
Rolls-Royce operates a small network of invite-only private offices where clients can talk with designers and commission their bespoke vehicles. This network of private offices was expanded last year to New York and Seoul, joining existing offices in Dubai, Shanghai and Goodwood.
Recent examples of customizations the company has added to its cars include solid 18-carat gold sculptures, embroideries, mother-of-pearl artworks and holographic paint finishes, it said.
The Middle East was the largest bespoke region by average value per car last year, closely followed by North America and Europe.
The Goodwood site was opened in 2003, the same year BMW took full control of the company, and initially employed 300 people while producing one car a day. More than 2,500 people now work at Goodwood with the company producing up to 28 cars a day.
Planning permission to extend Goodwood was granted in 2024 and initial work is now underway.
Rolls-Royce delivered 5,712 cars in 2024, down slightly from its record 6,032 cars in 2023.
Write to Dominic Chopping at dominic.chopping@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
01-08-25 0458ET