Rolls enters an era of expansion

New CEO predicts exciting future’ as factory gets extra capacity for personalisation

- FELIX PAGE

Rolls-Royce will soon break ground on a significant extension of its factory at Goodwood, West Sussex, that will enable it to offer substantially more personalisation on each car that it builds.

Planning permission was recently granted by Chichester District Council, enabling the firm to progress with what will be the most substantial investment in the factory since it was opened in 2003.

Extending it is high on the priorities list for Chris Brownridge, the former BMW UK boss who took the helm at Rolls-Royce at the end of last year, following the departure of long-standing CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös.

Speaking to Autocar for the first time since taking the job, Brownridge - who has held several high-ranking positions in the BMW Group since joining in 2005 said that expanding the factory isn't just important from a commercial standpoint but also in terms of nurturing the UK automotive industry.

"We're proud as a British institution. Rolls-Royce has a very relevant voice in the world of luxury but also contributes to UK plc," he said, before highlighting that Goodwood employs 2600 people directly and some 7500 people across the national supply chain, while annually contributing some £500 million to the Treasury.