British marque Bentley sales soaring in the Chinese market

China has overtaken North America as the largest single market for Bentley Motors, and the British luxury marque expects the country to play an even bigger role in the age of electrification.

Bentley said its deliveries in China from January to October were 84 percent more than the same period last year. It did not give detailed figures.

"In the third quarter, we have already exceeded our total number of deliveries in 2020," said Bernd Pichler, managing director of Bentley Motors Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao.

The pandemic has shown the strong resilience of China, the world's largest vehicle market, with more and more Chinese customers embracing the British luxury brand, he said.

"We will break our sales record in 2021 and our order book continues to grow, with deliveries planned into 2022," said Pichler.

He said despite uncertainties arising from the pandemic, Bentley will further develop its retail network and continue to roll out the most advanced products to meet Chinese customers' expectations.

So far, the bestselling Bentley model is the Bentayga, its first ever luxury SUV, which accounted for approximately 43 percent of its overall sales in the country.

The carmaker said the model's long-standing popularity will pave the way for the success of the 4.0-liter V8 Bentayga S.

With an all-around, sportier upgrade, the model, which Bentley calls a "benchmark, luxury go-anywhere SUV", made its debut at the Guangzhou auto show late last month.

Its two Mulliner models, the Continental GT Mulliner and the Continental GT Mulliner Convertible, are receiving positive feedback in the market as well.

Customers' strong interest in the Mulliner models has made Bentley raise its expectations for the Flying Spur Mulliner, which also made its China debut at the Guangzhou auto show.

The model, as the pinnacle of the family, combines the very finest in modern craftsmanship and breathtaking luxury so it will appeal to those who desire an even greater focus on elegant details.

Among other things, it features the exclusive Mulliner 22-inch wheels and the self-leveling wheel caps that remain upright as the model runs on the road.

The model has the "Double Diamond" front grille and chrome front lower grille. The iconic Bentley Flying B logo is electronically deployed and illuminated, and it also features bejeweled fuel and oil caps.

The four-door luxury grand tourer has three powertrain options: the V8 engine, the W12 engine and the hybrid powertrain (V6 petrol engine plus an electric motor).

The Flying Spur Mulliner is Mulliner's first electrified Bentley, as part of Bentley's efforts to become a carbon-neutral mobility company.

Besides the Flying Spur Mulliner, Bentley showcased another China debut, a special edition built based on the Flying Spur Hybrid, at the Guangzhou auto show.

Taking inspiration from the EXP 100 GT concept car that defines Bentley's view of luxury mobility in 2035, the Flying Spur Hybrid Special Edition is the first step on a journey to introduce new sustainable materials as part of its Beyond100 strategy.

Back to vehicle performance, the Flying Spur Hybrid sports a 2.9-liter V6 petrol engine and an advanced electric motor, delivering a maximum output of 544 horsepower and a top torque of 750 Newton meters.

The new powertrain has a significantly lower fuel consumption but still provides effortless, refined performance, accelerating from 0-100 kilometers per hour in 4.3 seconds.

The Flying Spur Hybrid is the most efficient Bentley ever, with a total mileage of over 700 km, demonstrating that hybridization does not compromise luxury or performance.

Bentley said it is speeding up efforts to introduce electrified models into China because the country is leading in the segment and local customers' interest in sustainable mobility is growing.

The carmaker launched the Bentayga Hybrid in April this year. Its sales have since reached approximately 600 units.

The carmaker's statistics show that more than 90 percent of the model's owners drive them on a daily basis, or several times a week, and nearly all of them drive in EV mode.

" (This is) demonstrating the high acceptance of our customers for hybrid models, and further illustrating that we are on the right track with our commitment to the electrification transition," said Pichler.

"For Bentley, China will always be one of the most important markets and will play an even greater role in the electrification era," he said.

Pichler said Bentley is moving toward zero-emissions mobility across its entire product range, and every electric model will combine luxury and performance, saying that it has always been a key part of Bentley's appeal to its customers.

It unveiled two electrified models, the Bentley Hybrid and the Flying Spur Hybrid, this year as promised, to highlight Bentley's commitment to be the leading sustainable luxury mobility company in the world.

According to its strategy, Beyond100, all Bentley models will have hybrid variants by 2024. The marque's first all-electric model will come out in 2025, as the first step of Bentley's goal to go full electric-only by 2030.

"In the future, we will always look for the opportunities that are unique for the Chinese market and look at what the Chinese customers want from us, and how we can combine that with Bentley as a luxury car manufacturer," said Pichler.