Earlier this year, at the Walpole British Luxury Awards 2023, we honoured Torsten Müller-Ötvös, the innovative CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, with our Visionary award (in association with WOLF). As he prepares to step down from his role at the world-famous British car-maker, Walpole was compelled to recognise Müller-Ötvös for the extraordinary transformation that the company has undergone during his 14-year tenure. His vision and ambition have cemented Rolls-Royce Motor Cars as a global luxury house and one of Britain’s most recognised, respected and desirable brands.
When Torsten joined the company in 2010, it produced just two models, Phantom and Ghost. Since then, the model portfolio has expanded significantly and today also includes Cullinan, the Black Badge series and the first all-electric model in the marque’s 120-year history, Spectre. In that time, annual worldwide sales have risen from around 1,000 motor cars per year to over 6,000 in 2022.
> See all the winners from the Walpole British Luxury Awards 2023
However, it is his focus on developing the marque’s capabilities and reputation for Bespoke personalisation that will define his legacy. Under his leadership, the company has reached a position where every motor car it builds incorporates Bespoke details, all designed, engineered and handcrafted at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, West Sussex. At the apex of Bespoke is the company’s Coachbuild department, which is leading a contemporary renaissance in which the commissioning client can individually specify every aspect of their motor car including its physical form, most recently seen in the remarkable Rolls-Royce Droptail.
“Torsten’s unfaltering vision has resulted in exceptional achievements,” says Helen Brocklebank, Walpole CEO. “During his tenure, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has grown into a business employing more than 2,500 people at its home in Goodwood and contributing more than £500 million to the UK economy every year. However, his most enduring achievement is realising the vision of Charles Rolls, creating in Spectre an electric luxury motor car that is ‘perfectly noiseless and clean’ and ushering in a future where every new Rolls-Royce model will be fully electric by the end of 2030. On his watch, the brand has achieved an ingenious balance of heritage and modernity and become the epitome of what British luxury means today.”
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