Bentley reported a record first quarter performance, with sales up 40% from the same period in 2020 and profits increasing to £ 56million.
While the Bentayga remains the best-selling car in the range, accounting for 40% of the mix, it was the new Flying Spur that really helped the British firm’s global sales. The sedan is particularly popular in China, where Bentley’s overall sales are up 187% from the first quarter of 2020. Last year the model was intergenerational, hence the significant increase this year.
Elsewhere, sales are up 17% in America and 15% in the UK. A spokesperson told Autocar: “We were worried about the Middle East and the UK last year, but these two markets have also picked up.”
This is despite the UK being locked down for the first three months of 2021.
As the spokesperson points out: “Our networks have adapted. Adrian Hallmark himself [Bentley’s CEO] made three zoom calls with Blower and Bacalar buyers on the process of specifying and updating their cars, and in many cases they did not come to Crewe.
“We remain cautiously optimistic for the rest of the year as we don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Fortunately, because our volumes are so small, relatively, and because we still have the luxury of good stock levels… we are not seeing any shortage of parts at the moment. This means that we can continue to produce cars at 100% of our capacity. “
The order book also seems healthy. With orders up 50% this quarter from last, it represents the highest order bank ever in Bentley history.
Notably, 75% of new orders come from new customers, which also has an impact on the popularity of some options. Previously, burl walnut was the most requested veneer for the dashboard, but has now been overtaken by piano black, for example.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-05-06 09:01:24
