As most other car brands declined, Bentley had success
Bentley Motors enjoyed its best sales ever in 2020 despite the coronavirus pandemic – selling 11,206 vehicles during the year. However, Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark is “cautiously optimistic” for the company in 2021.
The 101-year-old carmaker, Bentley Motors, sold a record number of its luxury sedans and SUVs last year as the rest of the auto industry struggled to stem losses from the coronavirus pandemic.
The Volkswagen-owned company had success despite a seven-week closure of its factory in England during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic last spring. The company sold 11,006 cars in 2019. Bentley sells some of the most expensive and rare cars in the world. Its entry-level SUV, the Bentayga, starts at around $180,000, while its most exclusive model, the Mulliner Bacalar, sells for around $2 million.
The brands CEO said last year’s sales record is a “strong measure” of the company’s potential as it pivots to become a fully electric car company by 2030.
Sales in the Americas rose by 4.2% and remained Bentley’s top market in 2020, but its largest growth came from a 48.5% sales jump in the China market. Those two markets accounted for 53% of Bentley’s sales in 2020, according to the company. That offset sales declines in the United Kingdom, Europe and the Middle East in 2020.
After a record year in the books, Bentley has said it has nine new vehicle launches planned for this year alone.
Looking ahead in 2021, with the United Kingdom once again under national lockdown, and car retailers closed to sales visits, physical commissions and test drives, Bentley is once again leading the way with the introduction of a unique Digital Commissioning Experience, tailored to the luxury marque’s discerning customers’ needs.
The unique service offers customers direct online access to the company’s world-class retailer experts from the comfort of their own home. The personal experience customers have come to expect remains, through one-to-one online car immersion sessions, individual video handovers, and digital commissioning appointments. Using the online Bentley Configurator then reveals a myriad of design options – up to 10 billion possible configurations per model – when purchasing an all-new Bentayga, Continental GT or Flying Spur.
The collaboration helps create an even more extraordinary vehicle, designed by Bentley and the customer themselves.