BMW's Rolls-Royce Motor Cars began manufacturing Rolls-Royce cars in 2003. That was the year the BMW-controlled company became the exclusive maker of cars carrying the Rolls-Royce name.
BMW created Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited in 1998, after acquiring the automotive trademark rights from Rolls-Royce plc. However, the transition was not immediate. Volkswagen Group temporarily continued producing Rolls-Royce and Bentley models at the former Crewe facility while BMW developed a new factory and car for the marque.
Production moved to BMW's purpose-built Goodwood plant near Chichester in West Sussex. The first model from the new operation was the seventh-generation Phantom, unveiled in 2003. It marked the beginning of the modern Rolls-Royce Motor Cars era and separated the brand from the pre-2003 cars built at Crewe.
The dates 1998 and 2003 are therefore easy to confuse: 1998 refers to BMW's creation of the new company and acquisition of key rights, while 2003 is the manufacturing milestone asked about here.