Bentley will not sell models built in Germany in the UK or the US, according to marketing director Adrian Hallmark.
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Buyers in those two countries expect a British luxury car to be made in England. But customers in mainland Europe are not so prejudiced.
Research shows that customers in the UK and North America would not accept a Bentley built outside England, Hallmark told Automotive News Europe. For buyers in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Holland the idea is “not so negative.”
Bentley may shift some production of its new Continental Flying Spur four-door sedan to parent Volkswagen’s under-used assembly plant in Dresden, Germany, to counter a production bottleneck at its Crewe, England, factory.
The first Flying Spur deliveries will probably go to UK customers in June.To meet initial demand for the Flying Spur, some cars may be assembled from kits in the Dresden factory, which builds the slow-selling VW Phaeton.
Workers in Dresden would handle about one-third of the 170 hours required to make each car. Crewe workers would need more time because they would remain responsible for time-consuming tasks such as engine building and wood and leather work.
Dresden could provide “temporary overflow volume for a couple of years,” Hallmark said, adding that Bentley needs another place to assemble cars to meet demand for the next 12-18 months.
Bentley’s volume dilemma stems from its rapid growth and uncertainty about what its volume will be once the Flying Spur moves beyond launch phase.
