China becomes Bentley’s largest market
As Deputy Prime Minister Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP visited Bentley (see article above), the company has emerged from the first quarter of 2012 in an increasingly strong position with a new number one market. The company’s results for the first three months of 2012 show that it is building on its 2011 sales success with a 46.6% increase in deliveries to 1,759. Just three weeks from the Beijing Show, the key trend emerging from the results is confirmation that China is now Bentley’s largest market .
Sales in the China region increased by 84.9% with 578 cars delivered to customers. However, sales in the US, which previously claimed the top spot, also remain extremely strong – up some 35.6% with 468 deliveries in the region. Whilst China is in pole position for now, a series of new product launches including the hotly anticipated arrival of the new Continental V8 range sets the stage for a head to head between these two key markets for the rest of the year.
The results in China and the US were echoed by strong performance in other markets. In Europe sales were up 34.4% with 207 deliveries to customers, and sales in the Middle East were up 82.6% with 168 cars delivered as the region moves on from the instability of 2011. As expected, sales in the UK remained static with 233 deliveries to customers reflecting the economic conditions affecting the wider UK automotive sector.
