Business Is Booming For Luxury Automaker Bentley

Bentley global sales were up 9% in the first half of 2013, compared to the first six months of 2012. The luxury automaker has delivered 4,279 cars since January, it announced this morning.

Growth was even stronger in the Americas, its largest region, with a 12% increase in sales.

These most recent numbers are part of a larger trend: Bentley sales have been steadily rising over the past four years.

 

In a statement, Kevin Rose, Bentley's Board Member for Sales, Marketing, and Aftersales, gave some of the credit to the recent introduction new models, the Continental GT Speed and the Continental GT Speed Convertible.

In February, Bentley officially unveiled the Flying Spur, the fastest and most powerful four-door it has ever produced.

Sales were down 23% in China, a drop Bentley attributed to the fact that the Flying Spur, a "major car for this region," is not yet fully available there.

In an April interview, Bentley COO Christophe Georges said the company's recent success can be credited to its decision to develop new products and keep its dealerships open, even in the midst of the financial crisis.

"Whatever the stress is in your market, you cannot compromise the brand," he said. "We didn’t compromise on customer satisfaction. We didn’t compromise on the brand. We didn’t lose our network, and we invested in new products."