Rolls-Royce Motor Cars belongs to Britain and will not move manufacturing elsewhere after Brexit, its boss has said as the company unveils record sales figures.
Chief executive Torsten Muller-Otvos told reporters the idea of moving the car maker abroad was a “complete no-go for me”.
“Rolls-Royce belongs to Britain,” he said.
“We are committed to Britain. Rolls-Royce is part of what I would call the British industrial crown jewels.
“It is an in-built brand promise even for our customers worldwide to be proudly built in Goodwood.”
Brexit has made the future of the UK’s car manufacturing industry uncertain, with Toyota, Jaguar Land Rover and Vauxhall among those to warn of negative impacts in the event of a hard Brexit.
Mr Muller-Otvos urged the Government to avoid a hard Brexit, saying any disruption to logistics would impact production.
He said the marque has made preparations for a “chaotic” Brexit by expanding warehouse space, investing in IT and storing additional parts.
Shutdown
Both Rolls-Royce and Mini will also move their annual shutdown, which usually takes place in summer, to the first two weeks of April so the manufacturers can get to grips with the Brexit outcome.
Rolls-Royce’s commitment to the UK comes as it announces annual sales of 4,107 vehicles in 2018, marking a 22% increase on the prior year’s total of 3,362.
The US is still the brand’s largest market, accounting for around 30% of 2018 sales.
The UK market has also held up at around 10% of all sales, boosted last year by the release of the new Phantom model.
“We haven’t seen any downturn,” Mr Muller-Otvos said. “I can’t promise what will happen this year.
“If it’s a hard Brexit then probably the mood here in the UK tanks and probably also our sales might be affected.”
