With the world seemingly facing an economic meltdown, the Paris motor show probably wasn’t ideally timed for unveiling eye-wateringly expensive cars.
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But Bentley’s customer research suggests that fat cat bankers and the big bonus brigade aren’t the most likely customers for the end-of-line Arnage (the last of a design once shared with Rolls-Royce before BMW bought that brand and Bentley became part of Volkswagen Group). Bentley therefore expects strong demand for the 150 fully-specified cars being produced.
Sales and marketing director Stuart McCullough said: “The end of series Arnage is a very special car. We expect it to appeal to hard-core Bentley buyers and it will undoubtedly form part of many car collections around the world.”
Despite a production slowdown at the Crewe factory, and a drop in expected 2008 worldwide sales from 9,600 to 8,000 units, Bentley remains confident about its future due to steady growth in the emerging markets.
McCullough added: “Sales analysis has shown that many of our customers are not hurt by what’s happening within the economy at the moment. Yes, they may take a little longer to make a purchase decision but Bentley buyers have a more fundamental income base, many are property-rich and old money.”
The end of series Arnage signals that an all-new Bentley is just around the corner but executives remain tight-lipped about the replacement, other than saying it is very much a classic Bentley. More details are expected later this year.
