Bentley Motors has built its 200,000th luxury car. The company, founded in 1919, certainly has taken its time to get to that number, but the 200,000th car – a Bentayga Hybrid – marks a two decade period of success for the company, thanks to the popularity of it modern models such as the Continental GT.

The company says that it is now building 85 cars per day – the same output it was managing per month 20 years ago.

“This production of the 200,000th car is just the latest landmark on the extraordinary journey that Bentley has been travelling since its foundation in 1919,” said Bentley’s Chairman and Chief Executive, Adrian Hallmark.

“In 2003, the introduction of the Continental GT represented a transformative moment for the brand, and this Bentley alone has represented 80,000 sales of our total 200,000, and created both a new segment, and a contemporary image foundation for the Bentley business.

“The pace of progress has accelerated significantly since 2003 and we are now entering the next period of transformation as we pursue our Beyond100 strategy, with the aim of positioning Bentley as the global leader in sustainable luxury mobility.”

While the Continental GT has been a big success for the luxury brand, the Bentayga SUV, launched in 2015, is hot on its heels with 25,000 having been produced so far. Bentley says it expects the Bentayga could surpass total sales of the Continental GT within a decade and become the biggest selling Bentley model in history.

Also a decent seller for the company is the Flying Spur luxury sports sedan, of which 40,000 have been built since 2005.

Looking to the future, the ambitious plans Bentley Motors has for car production were outlined last year its Beyond100 strategy. The company aims to be carbon neutral by 2030 and move to full electrification – PHEV or BEV only – by 2026, then switch the entire model range to battery electric vehicles by 2030.

Just for context, it’s worth pointing out that Toyota sold 204,000 vehicles in 2020. That’s in one year . . . in Australia.

Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (April 2021)

28 April 2021