beyondbrics

As fears of sluggish global growth continue to infect both developed and emerging economies, it might seem a difficult time to be a luxury car maker.

Not for British brand Bentley, which is owned by German auto giant Volkswagen. The car synonymous with opulence has seen a 37 per cent rise in sales for 2011, buoyed by blossoming demand in China.

Wolfgang Dürheimer, the chairman and chief executive of Bentley, described 2011 as a “tremendously good year”. The numbers back that up. December 2011 was the company’s best single month since 2007, as sales of its new soft-top Continental GTS flourished – around £150,000 ($234,000) if you’re interested.

The US remains Bentley’s number one market but China took second place for the first time ever – and is catching up. Sales in the region surpassed their 2010 figure – the previous record – by July, doubling over the full year to 1,839 cars sold. By comparison, the US sold 2,021 units in 2011, an increase of 32 per cent.

The car maker was also boosted by a rise in Middle Eastern sales, despite the turbulence in many of the region’s markets hit by ongoing political instability.

“It has been particularly pleasing to see renewed interest in Bentley in established as well as new and emerging markets,” Dürheimer said, reflecting on what he called “dramatic” sales growth.

In its latest annual report, Bentley highlighted its increasing presence in each of the Bric economies. Revenues in China and Russia grew 117 per cent and 44 per cent respectively over the past three years, it revealed, while 2010 revenues were up 16 per cent in India.

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