Most popular supercars from the world’s most expensive brands

While the cost of living is increasing at an alarming rate, both in South Africa and around the world, luxury brands are continuing to excel with record sales numbers and profits.

Within the elite realm of the automotive world, super car names like Bugatti, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, McLaren, and Pagani are still reliably finding new customers, with many even reporting order backlogs that will see customers only collect their car years after they initially put their name on the list regardless of their net worth.

What the 1% are driving

It is difficult to find exact numbers for each and every model that these top-end brands produce as they are not as reliant on volume and thus do not regularly report their production and sales figures in the same way that a mass-market brand like VW or Toyota does.

Ferrari, for example, has yet to provide its sales numbers for the whole of 2023, but the previous year’s report shows that it moved a total of 13,211 units in a 12-month timeframe.

Of course, while this initially sounds like next to nothing, given that the best-selling car in South Africa alone (the Toyota Hilux) moved 37,382 units in 2023, but when you consider that the “cheapest” Ferraris can retail for something like R6.3 million – it’s clear that having comparatively fewer buyers is no issue for these brands, and that exclusively is in fact one of the greatest appeals of having such a car in the first place.

Interestingly, hybrids are now the main driving force of the Italian company’s profits, with the 296 and SF90 accounting for 51% of sales as of its third quarter report last year.

You’ll also have a hard time getting your hands on a Ferrari anytime soon as the brand is booked out until at least 2025, with its first SUV – the Purosangue – being one of the biggest drivers of new pre-orders.

One badge that has published its performance for 2023 is Lamborghini, which reported record sales on its 60th anniversary with more than 10,000 units delivered.

Much of this comes down to the Urus, the global phenomenon that helped to start the trend of super SUVs that has led to competitors like the Aston Martin DBX and the aforementioned Purosangue.

The Urus was responsible for more than 60% of Lamborghini’s output last year (6,087 units) and the carmaker is now dealing with a demand backlog stretching into late 2026.

Looking at another Italian firm, Maserati ships around 25,000 cars per year, and while model-specific numbers are not available, other sites have reported that the Levante and Grecale are among its most popular choices today.

McLaren’s most recent annual report from September last year revealed that it sold 2,188 units in 2022, with the 720S Spider proving to be a big hit in markets like the United States.

Finally there is Bugatti and Pagani, two of the most exclusive supercar brands in terms of models sold, as the former moves approximately 80 cars per year, while the latter has famously only made 450 cars since its debut in 1992 – the equivalent of 14 cars per year.

Bugatti’s top car these days is the Chiron, the successor to the famous Veyron, while Pagani’s limited production is best known for two cars – the Zonda, and its successor, the Huayra.