Bentley has revealed that 2020 was its strongest year ever in terms of sales, with the firm delivering 11,206 vehicles globally - a two per cent increase on 2019.
The company admits that it had far higher numbers forecasted for the year ahead of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but says that new-model introductions over the past 12 months have been just about enough for it to record a growth in sales to a 101-year best.
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Bentley’s Crewe factory was shut down in March 2020 during the first COVID-19 lockdown and remained closed for almost three months, before reopening at 50 per cent of its capacity for nine weeks. However, the firm claims that a redesign of the production facility, a rethink of some processes and successful social distancing protocols meant that it could still meet demand in 2020.
The Americas remains the firm’s strongest market, but Chinese growth of 48 per cent means places that region a close second.
The UK market was 22 per cent down for Bentley, but the brand’s home market still accounts for around 10 per cent of its sales.
Launches in 2020 included the new Flying Spur and the facelifted Bentayga SUV. The brand’s luxury off-roader made up 37 per cent of all sales, making it the single biggest selling model, with the Continental GT and GT Convertible accounting for 39 per cent when combined.
“Even though we anticipated greater sales before the pandemic struck, when you consider the level of restrictions around the world for the majority of the year, to achieve a record sales performance is a strong measure of our potential,” said Bentley CEO and Chairman Adrian Hallmark.
“As we look to the year ahead, we remain cautiously optimistic as much remains uncertain. One thing that doesn’t is our commitment to progress, the first step of which is the launch of the Bentayga Hybrid. This is one of nine new models we will launch this year as we continue on our Beyond100 strategic path and our accelerated journey towards becoming a fully electrified car company by 2030.”
Check out the latest on Bentley's plans to become an electric-only manufacturer here...
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