Rolls-Royce's US chief says wealthy clients are 'quite protected' from market jitters
Rolls-Royce's US chief says wealthy clients are 'quite protected' from market jitters
Pras SubramanianSat, November 7, 2026 at 3:57 PM UTC
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Rolls-Royce's (BMW.DE) well-heeled clients aren't pumping the brakes on new commissions, despite a choppy stock market and lingering economic worries, according to the automaker's top executive in North America.
"Honestly, no," Nick Keen, president of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars North America, told Yahoo Finance at the Wynn Concours in Las Vegas when asked if clients are hesitating. "I think what we see is that our clients are quite protected from some of these instances."
Rather than money, the bigger concern for buyers is optics, Keen said.
Rolls-Royce vehicles on display at the Wynn Concours in Las Vegas.
"What we see is, is it the right time for me now, not financially, but is the perception of the right thing for me to be doing this at the moment," he said.
Rolls-Royce's long build times also help keep demand buoyant. Keen noted heavily personalized cars "can take a long time to be produced," giving the markets time "to right itself by the time it comes."
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"For us in the US, we're seeing it still is fairly buoyant," said Keen, whotook over the North American business on July 1 after joining the brand in 2015. "We're seeing sustainable growth."
Other regions are tougher for the British automaker. "The Middle East has been troubling at the moment because of what's been happening," Keen said, while China "remains an area that all of luxury is kind of struggling with."
A Black Badge Rolls-Royce Ghost on display at the Wynn Concours in Las Vegas.
Rolls-Royce doesn't break out US sales, but the Americas is its largest region. Globally, the BMW-owned branddelivered 5,664 cars in 2025, down 0.8% year over year.
Not surprisingly, some regions are stronger than others. Keen called Florida "an enormous growth market," and said Rolls-Royce is taking its New York Private Office — its by-appointment bespoke studio — to the state for a weeklong "southern takeover" to court clients there. Florida's wealthy population has grown due to the state's lack of an income tax and the ability of many individuals to work from home.
In terms of products, the Cullinan SUV is Rolls-Royce's biggest seller in the US, with the electric Spectre coupe "a close second," according to Keen. Globally, the Cullinan made up 58% of deliveries last year, while Spectre sales fell 47%.
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Keen said that drop in Spectre sales was planned. Rolls-Royce paused Spectre production ahead of the Series II update revealed in June, which brought more range, faster charging, and more power.
Rolls-Royce vehicles on display at the Wynn Concours in Las Vegas.
"That perceived slowdown was deliberate," he said, adding that orders and desirability have come "back straight away."
Keen admitted EV enthusiasm cooled as "infrastructure changed, regulations changed, and mindset changed a little bit." Rolls-Roycedropped its 2030 all-electric target in March. But the Spectre still sells because "it's a Rolls-Royce first, and an electric car second."
Despite uneven demand, luxury automakers like Ferrari (RACE) and Bentley (VWAGY) followed Rolls in the EV space this year with the Luce and Torcal, respectively.
Rolls-Royce is also celebrating10 years of Black Badge, its darker, sportier "alter ego" line launched to court a new generation of buyers. It has wildly outperformed expectations.
A Rolls-Royce Spectre Series II on display at the Wynn Concours in Las Vegas.
"The initial projections for Black Badge were, you know, 10, 15%, and now we're running at, sort of, 50%" of total sales, Keen said.
Personalizations, which Rolls includes in its Bespoke program, generate healthy returns. "Every car that we create has some elements of client personalization within it," Keen said. Rolls-Royce said its Private Office commissions — a more custom, exclusive version of bespoke work — more than doubled in 2025. Commissions, the company admits, command much higher margins.
Then there are events like the Wynn Concours that are part of that relationship-driven pitch to entertain current clients and source new ones. Keen said Rolls-Royce was "the first official partner" of the show when it launched five years ago, and Wynn uses a fleet of Phantoms for its VIP guests.
Keen believes that developing relationships, such as those that start at an event like the Wynn and then lead to collaborative private office commissions, will shield the brand as other luxury names wobble amid market gyrations.
"Luxury brands that can also create that relationship with their clients can maybe weather some of these uncertainties," he said.
As for 2027, Keen smiled and promised "some great surprises" but declined to elaborate.
Pras Subramanian is the lead auto reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on X and on Instagram.
Source: “AOL Money”
