China Now Bentley’s Largest Four Door Market#
Having seen sales jump 26 percent in the first three quarters of 2012, British luxury automaker
Bentley#
closed out the year in style, ultimately selling 2,253 units throughout the year, a 23 percent increase year-on-year. Contrary to concerns that China's ultra-luxury auto market would falter in the run-up to Beijing's decennial leadership transition, Bentley sold 728 cars in China in the last three months of 2012, with the country's wealthy continuing to favor its Mulsanne and Flying Spur.
China's interest in larger models, and the Diamond Jubilee special edition Mulsanne in particular, meant that four out of every ten Mulsannes built in Crewe were sold in China last year.
At the moment, China is well on its way to surpassing Bentley's long-time number one market, the US -- where the automaker sold 2,457 cars last year, a 22 percent increase -- and has already established itself as Bentley’s largest four door market. However, Bentley is not only celebrating its popularity in China. The auto brand saw deliveries to the broader Asia-Pacific region rise 44 percent to 538 cars last year, with Japanese demand rising a surprising 73 percent to 190 deliveries, over 110 in 2011.