Leather proving important to Rolls-Royce and Polestar sales

In 2022, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited achieved the highest-ever annual sales in its 118-year history – thanks in part to its bespoke services, which include the option of specifying particular colours of leather to be incorporated into a vehicle’s interior. Chief executive, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, noted that it had been “a momentous year for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars,” in which the 6,021 vehicles delivered to clients in around 50 countries represented an increase of 8 per cent on the 2021 total.

Bespoke commissions also reached record levels last year, stated Mr Müller-Ötvös, who added: “Our clients’ requests are becoming ever more imaginative and technically demanding – a challenge we enthusiastically embrace.”

According to Rolls-Royce, the Middle East is the leading region for bespoke commissions. As a result, an invitation-only private office was opened in Dubai last year.

Swedish electric vehicle manufacturer Polestar is also proud of its leather seats. The company – which has a factory in China – is applying clear labelling on the leather seats specified by customers for its Polestar 3 model, to emphasise the sustainability credentials of the leather being using.

Polestar states that the rawhides are sourced from responsible suppliers in the UK and Ireland, and that the nappa leather being used is 100 per cent traceable, chrome-free and animal welfare-secured. The company claims that the material has a carbon footprint of 8.1 kg of CO2-equivalent per square metre, and that this is the lowest published figure for leather

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 3 of the February 2023 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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