US demand drives Bentley’s H1 sales up 9%
BENTLEY Motors, the luxury car manufacturer, says sales in the first six months of this year are up 9% to 4,279 cars against the same period in 2012.
Growth in Bentley’s largest market, the US, was key, as was a strong showing in Europe. The Cheshire-based business further enhanced its global presence with 14 new dealerships introduced in the first half of the year.
Kevin Rose, director for sales, marketing and aftersales, said:
“This success has been supported by the introduction of new models, with the Continental GT Speed and Continental GT Speed Convertible proving successful across multiple regions, while the existing GT W12, V8 and Mulsanne models maintain their strong performance.
“Bentley continues to post significant global sales growth and we are extremely confident we will sustain this success for the remaining months of 2013 as we see the full availability of our new Flying Spur in all markets.”
Bentley’s largest region, the Americas continued its impressive performance, with 1,282 cars delivered to customers, a 12% uplift.
The Middle East was also a strong performer, with the Continental GT V8 proving particularly popular. Sales in this region were up 28%.
Significant gains were made in Asia Pacific, which saw 222 cars delivered to customers, a 53% increase.
In China, which a year ago was rivalling the US as Bentley’s number one market, saw a 23% fall, which the manufacturer said was because customers there are “awaits the full availability of the new Flying Spur, a major car for this region.”
In the UK 698 cars were sold, representing a 25% per cent increase on the first half of 2012.
The iconic company is owned by German automotive giant Volkswagen AG and employs around 4,000 people at its headquarters on Pyms Lane, Crewe.
Newly-filed accounts for Bentley Motors for 2012 show a major improvement in the financial performance, as it generated an operating profit of £119.3m, compared with a £6.4m loss in 2011. Bottom-line profits also showed significant progress as Bentley made pre-tax profits of £108.3m against a £21.4m pre-tax loss in 2011.
Sales in the same period rose to £1.1bn from £944.1m as 8,510 cars were delivered, an increas of 22%.
