The rich are bored with standard supercars. Instead, they are increasingly requesting customizations or “bespoke” cars to stand out from the pack.
Bespoke is more than a paint color or blacked-out tint job. Customers are asking for unique wood inlay designs, diamond dust in the paint, and built-in cabinetry to keep their champagne chilled.
For them, custom is the new black, per CNN:
- Rolls-Royce plans to add five new buildings to its factory in part so it can store more exotic materials for its luxury customization program
- Bentley customer customization requests increased by 43% in 2023 from the year before
- Lamborghini and Ferrari have reported increased levels of interest in customization programs
The shift to custom aligns surprisingly well with supercar business models. Advanced customizations allow supercar makers like Rolls-Royce to increase the average amount customers pay for their cars while keeping supply controlled to maintain their brand's exclusivity.
Rolls-Royce’s revenue has increased faster than the volume of cars it produces due to customizations costing more and taking longer to build. Rolls-Royce’s average revenue per car has increased 43% from $350,000 in 2020 to $500,000 in 2023, while its total vehicles sold only increased by 17% in that same period.
How custom will they go? There really is no limit as long as the price is right. Rolls-Royce created an entirely new car, the Boat Tail, for three buyers, each costing around $25 million.
