CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated that Rolls-Royce Calgary is open. The dealer is currently accepting orders; the physical location will open in early May.
Canadian auto industry veteran Matthew Wilson has been appointed to the new position of general manager for Canada for the Rolls-Royce brand effective Feb. 1.
Wilson, a 43-year-old native of Ottawa, was previously national manager of product planning for BMW Group Canada for more than eight years.
His appointment comes amid Canada’s ranking as one of the top three fastest growing regions globally for the U.K.-based luxury automaker, according to Martin Fritsches, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Americas.
Four points of sale are currently operating across the country: in Toronto under luxury dealership group Grand Touring Automobiles; in Montreal with Quebec-based Holand Automotive Group; in Vancouver with OpenRoad Auto Group, which has dealerships in Greater Vancouver, Greater Toronto, and the U.S. Pacific Northwest; and a fourth location in Calgary that will also be operated by Grand Touring Automobiles, which is currently taking orders and will open its physical location in early May, according to Gerry Spahn, spokesman for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Americas.
Spahn said the automaker expects 2021 will be a record sales year for Canada as the new Ghost sedan, equipped with standard all-wheel drive, is added to its line-up alongside the Cullinan SUV.
The automaker sold 160 units last year, down from 228 in 2019, according to the Automotive News Research and Data Center in Detroit. The decrease was due to reduced output capacity at the brand’s production facility in Goodwood, U.K., as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the automaker said.
“Goodwood is now up and running,” Spahn said at a media launch event for the redesigned Rolls-Royce Ghost held in Toronto in February. “We have orders going forward for months.”
Spahn added that deliveries are currently taking between three and six months from ordering for most vehicles.
Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce owners appear to be using their vehicles more during the pandemic than they were prior to the crisis, said Spahn.
“At the service level, we’re seeing that people are using their cars,” he said. “They’re putting more miles on their Rolls-Royce than they have in the past.”
