The 2020 Bentley Continental GT First Edition
Mack Hogan | CNBC
Bentley Motors sold a record number of its luxury sedans and SUVs last year, while the rest of the auto industry struggled to contain losses from the coronavirus pandemic, the 101-year-old automaker said on Tuesday.
The Volkswagen-owned company sold 11,206 vehicles in 2020 – despite the closure of its factory in England for seven weeks during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic last spring. The company sold 11,006 cars in 2019.
Bentley sells some of the most expensive and rare cars in the world. Its basic SUV, the Bentayga, costs about $ 180,000, while its most exclusive model, the Mulliner Bacalar, sells for about $ 2 million.
Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark said he was “cautiously optimistic” about business in 2021 “since there is still a lot of uncertainty,” according to a press release. He said last year’s sales record is a “strong measure” of the company’s potential as it turns into a fully electric car company in 2030.
Sales in the Americas increased 4.2% and remained Bentley’s main market in 2020, but its growth came from a 48.5% jump in sales in China. The two markets accounted for 53% of Bentley’s sales in 2020, according to the company. This made up for the declines in sales in the UK, Europe and the Middle East in 2020.