NEW YORK, Jan 7 ― Luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce said today it recorded a 25 per cent jump in sales in 2019, underpinned by solid demand for its first-ever SUV, Cullinan, just a year after the launch.

The 116-year-old British company said it sold a record 5,152 cars in 2019, compared with 4,107 units in the prior year.

"Worldwide demand last year for our Cullinan SUV has driven this success and is expected to stabilise in 2020,” Chief Executive Officer Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes said in a statement.

The Cullinan was unveiled in 2018.

The BMW-owned brand's strong numbers serve as a breather at a time when the global automobile industry is still grappling with various challenges amid a broader economic slowdown that dented sales of automakers such as Volkswagen and Ford Motor Co.

North America continued to be the biggest contributor with about a third of Rolls-Royce's total sales, followed by China and Europe. ― Reuters