Rolls-Royce begins work on £300m car plant redevelopment
The luxury carmaker is looking to build more bespoke vehicles at Goodwood
A project worth more £300 million to extend car-building at Rolls Royce's Goodwood plant in West Sussex is now underway.
The pouring of the first concrete foundation pads on the site, adjacent to the luxury carmaker’s existing manufacturing facility and global headquarters, heralds the start of the largest investment in the Chichester plant since its opening in 2003.
Chichester District Council first granted approval from the project in March last year.
The extension will create additional space for the increasingly complex and high-value Bespoke and Coachbuild projects, which offer customised vehicles to high-end clients.
The firm delivered 5,712 vehicles in 2024, its third-highest sales figures on record.
It also recorded a 10% increase in the number of customers using its bespoke programme, a record result.
Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said:
“Securing planning permission to extend the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood was the culmination of a detailed process of consultation and partnership with the local community and relevant agencies, authorities and expert advisors.
"I’m delighted that, in less than 12 months, we have begun the construction phase with the installation of the first foundation pads.
"This is a highly significant and exciting moment; it means we're firmly on track to deliver this landmark project on schedule, enabling our future prosperity and immense economic contribution to the region and ‘UK PLC’."
Bosses have said bespoke commissions ordered in 2024 featured detailing including solid 18-carat gold sculptures, intricate embroideries comprising more than 869,500 stitches, delicate marquetry composed of more than 500 individually shaped pieces of wood, captivating mother-of-pearl artworks, and holographic paint finishes.
The Middle East was the largest Bespoke region by average value per motor car, closely followed by North America and Europe.
Rolls-Royce introduced a record four new models in 2024, the Cullinan Series II and Ghost Series II, together with the respective Black Badge models.
The most requested Rolls-Royce las year were the Cullinan SUV, Spectre, then Ghost. Phantom, the marque’s flagship, retained its status as the ultimate and rarest Rolls-Royce and will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2025.
Bosses have said the investment will also ready the manufacturing facility for the marque’s transition to an all-battery electric vehicle (BEV) future.
The marque is set to unveil its next electric motor vehicle later this year.