Rolls-Royce’s North American executive says well-heeled clients aren’t pausing new commissions despite a choppy stock market and lingering economic worries.
“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 price, the primary concern for buyers is perception, Keen noted.
“Is this the right moment, not from a financial standpoint, but in terms of perception?” he remarked.
Rolls-Royce’s extensive customization timelines help sustain demand, with Keen noting heavily personalized vehicles can take considerable time to produce, giving markets opportunity to stabilize by delivery.
“For us in the US, we’re seeing it still is fairly buoyant,” said Keen, who assumed leadership of the North American division on July 1 after joining the brand in 2015. “We’re seeing sustainable growth.”
Other regions present challenges: Keen noted the Middle East has been troubling of late, while China remains an area where all of luxury is kind of struggling.
Rolls-Royce does not break out US sales publicly, but the Americas remains its largest region. Globally, the BMW-owned brand delivered 5,664 vehicles in 2025, down 0.8% year-over-year.
Not surprisingly, some regions outperform others. Keen called Florida “an enormous growth market,” and said Rolls-Royce is bringing 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 thanks to the state’s lack of income tax and the prevalence of remote work.
In the US, the Cullinan SUV remains the top seller, with the electric Spectre coupe a close second, according to Keen. Globally, the Cullinan accounted for 58% of deliveries last year, while Spectre sales declined 47%.
“That perceived slowdown was deliberate,” Keen stated, adding that orders and desirability have rebounded straight away.
Keen admitted EV enthusiasm has cooled as infrastructure, regulations, and mindsets shifted. Rolls-Royce withdrew its 2030 all-electric target in March, though the Spectre sells because “it’s a Rolls-Royce first, and an electric car second.”
Despite uneven demand, other luxury automakers like Ferrari and Bentley followed Rolls into the EV space this year with the Luce and Torcal, respectively.
Rolls-Royce celebrates 10 years of Black Badge, its darker, sportier “alter ego” line launched to attract a new generation of buyers. It has wildly outperformed initial expectations.
“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, included within Rolls-Royce’s Bespoke program, generate healthy returns. “Every car we create has some elements of client personalization within it,” Keen said. Rolls-Royce reported its Private Office commissions — a more custom, exclusive version of bespoke work — more than doubled in 2025, commanding much higher margins.
Events like the Wynn Concours form part of Rolls-Royce’s relationship-driven client pitch, serving to entertain current clients and source new ones. Keen noted the brand was “the first official partner” when the show launched five years ago, and Wynn uses a fleet of Phantoms for its VIP guests.
Keen believes that developing such relationships—starting at events like the Wynn and leading 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.