11:26 am, May 27, 2022
Wait times on Rolls Royce cars could get even longer than they already are due to ongoing supply chain issues, the firm’s CEO has warned.
Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes says the current situation does not look like improving any time soon due to a number of issues in the supply chain.
The biggest problem, the global semiconductor shortage, is a source of ‘daily worry’ for the firm with Covid lockdowns also affecting production.
The end result is that the West Sussex-based firm is not expecting lead times to get shorter for the foreseeable future.
On the contrary, if the situation does not improve, Mueller-Oetvoes believes they could get even longer.
He told Bloomberg: ‘Supply chain is something that worries us, I would even say daily.
‘With all these port lockdowns in China, we also see certain constraints now. If only one part is missing, I can’t finish the product.’
In order to combat the issues at Chinese ports, the British marque has started flying some parts in via air, which is likely to hit profits.
Rolls-Royce enjoyed record sales figures last year after owners BMW Group prioritised high-end cars with larger margins.
As a result, the firm delivered 5,586 new vehicles in 2021 – a rise of 49 per cent.
Rolls-Royce’s order books remain full until into Q3 of this year. Wait times on some models already stretch into the second half of 2023.
