The Bentley Continental GT Coupé recorded growth in sales figures despite the difficult situation in the premium vehicle segment. The exclusive Arnage Final Series special edition closes the Arnage era.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
The traditional British brand has been part of the Volkswagen Group for over ten years now. Bentley heralded the end of the Arnage era in 2008 with the exclusive Arnage Final Series* special edition. A new generation of the flagship is currently at the planning stage. In addition, Bentley launched the high-performance Speed Version* of the Continental Flying Spur and unveiled the Brooklands* in the reporting period.
After a very good start in the first half of the year, Bentley was unable to escape the gradual deterioration in the operating environment in fiscal year 2008, which caused a significant decline in volumes in the premium vehicle segment. As a result, sales figures fell in almost all markets. All in all, deliveries to customers were down 24.1% year-on-year at 7,605 vehicles.
Bentley sold 7,685 vehicles in the reporting period, down 19.9% year-on-year. However, sales figures for the coupé series were significantly higher than the previous year due to the strong market acceptance for the Continental GT Speed Coupé* (+26.9%).
The Bentley brand produced a total of 7,674 vehicles in fiscal year 2008, 23.0% fewer than the year before.
 Download |
|
BENTLEY BRAND |
|
|
| |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
2008 |
2007 |
% | |||
|
Deliveries |
7,605 |
10,014 |
–24.1 | |||
|
Vehicle sales |
7,685 |
9,600 |
–19.9 | |||
|
Production |
7,674 |
9,972 |
–23.0 | |||
|
Sales revenue (€ million) |
1,084 |
1,376 |
–21.2 | |||
|
Operating profit |
10 |
155 |
–93.5 | |||
|
as % of sales revenue |
0.9 |
11.2 |
|
SALES REVENUE AND EARNINGS
The Bentley brand generated sales revenue of €1.1 billion in 2008, down 21.2% on the previous year. Operating profit decreased by 93.5% to €10 million. This decline was mainly the result of the lower sales volume, particularly in North America and the UK, as well as the adverse exchange rate situation. The operating return on sales decreased from 11.2% in 2007 to 0.9% in 2008.
| Download |
|
PRODUCTION |
|
| ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Vehicles |
2008 |
2007 | ||
|
Continental GT Coupé |
2,699 |
2,140 | ||
|
Continental GT Cabriolet |
2,408 |
4,847 | ||
|
Continental Flying Spur |
1,813 |
2,270 | ||
|
Brooklands |
312 |
8 | ||
|
Arnage |
277 |
357 | ||
|
Azure |
165 |
350 | ||
|
|
7,674 |
9,972 |
FURTHER INFORMATION
www.bentleymotors.com
*Consumption and emission data can be found here.
