The 2020 Bentley Continental GT first edition
Mack Hogan | CNBC
Bentley Motors sold a record number of its luxury sedans and SUVs last year as the rest of the automotive industry struggled to stem losses due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 101-year-old carmaker said Tuesday.
The Volkswagen company sold 11,206 vehicles in 2020 – despite a seven-week closure of its plant 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 scarce cars in the world. Its entry-level sports utility vehicle, the Bentayga, starts at around $ 180,000, while its most exclusive model, the Mulliner Bacalar, sells for around $ 2 million.
Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark said he was “cautiously optimistic” about things in 2021 “as there is still a lot of uncertainty”, according to a press release. He said the sales record last year was a ‘strong measure’ of the company’s potential, as it should become a full electric car company by 2030.
Sales in the Americas increased by 4.2% and remained Bentley’s leading market in 2020, but the growth came from a huge increase of 48.5% in China. According to the company, the two markets accounted for 53% of Bentley’s sales in 2020. The decline in sales in the UK, Europe and the Middle East in 2020.