... As Bentley, Rolls-Royce also create more jobs

Bentley Motors claims to have reinforced its position as the leading manufacturer of luxury vehicles in the world with a 19 per cent increase in global deliveries in 2013.

The company delivered 10,120 cars, the highest figure in Bentley’s 95-year history, against 8,510 in 2012.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, owned by BMW, meanwhile also claims a record – 3,630 cars sold in 2013.

Both firms are implementing recruitment campaigns.

Bentley has confirmed it £800 million investment over the next three years in new product and facilities the company’s Crewe, Cheshire facilities.

Part of the new investment will be directed at the new 4x4 sport utility vehicle (SUV) which has been substantially redesigned following appraisals of its concept vehicle. The SUV is expected to hit showrooms in 2016.

For this Bentley will create 400 direct-labour jobs at the factory, with a further 100 in the front offices. Additionally, it is expected a further 600 jobs will be created at suppliers. The company employs 3,700 people now.

The Americas region is Bentley’s leading market, with Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Europe, particularly Germany and the UK, posting substantial gains over the previous year. The global sales network also increased by 11%, to 193 showrooms.

Bentley’s chairman and chief executive, Dr Wolfgang Schreiber, said: “2013 marks our fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth, establishing ourselves as the most sought after luxury car brand in the world. We continue to win new customers and we are confident that 2014 will be another successful year for Bentley. People all over the world love the unique combination of luxury and performance of our cars.”

Bentley Motors is owned by Volkswagen AG.

In 2013 Bentley launched the Flying Spur, the fastest and most powerful Bentley four-door model ever. In the final four months of 2013, with full availability of the new model, Bentley delivered 2,005 Flying Spurs to customers. This compares with the average yearly sales of 2,700 cars of its predecessor, the Continental Flying Spur, during its seven-year tenure.

According to the latest figures, Bentley’s full year market share performance in the luxury segment rose by three percentage points, taking it to 25%, a market leading position in a segment that decreased by 6%.   

Bentley’s Americas region market took 3,140 cars, compared with 2,457 cars in 2012; this represented 31 per cent of total deliveries. China is the second biggest market, with 2,191 cars delivered in total over the year, less than the previous year total of 2,253 cars.

In Europe, deliveries rose 11 per cent, with 1,480 cars delivered to customers. The UK took 1,381 cars, a 25% increase on 2012 (1,104 cars). Overall, this means that 86% of Bentley’s cars were shipped abroad.

Performance was strengthened in the Middle East by Bentley’s flagship model, the Mulsanne, with model sales up by 38 per cent. Total deliveries increased 45 per cent (1,185 cars) on 2012 (815 cars).

In Asia Pacific, deliveries rose by 26 per cent (452 cars) on the previous year (358 cars), driven by success of the two-door Continental GT model line. Finally, in Japan sales grew 53 per cent to 291 cars compared with 190 cars in 2012.

                                   More new jobs

Rolls-Royce is also planning 100 more jobs at its factory at Goodwood, West Sussex. Most will be in manufacturing. These are in addition to the 100 jobs announced in July. Over 1,300 people are employed by the company world-wide.

Rolls-Royce claims its sales figures confirm the company’s “clear position as the world’s leading super-luxury brand”.  The rivalry between Bentley and Rolls-Royce, once part of the same family, is clear to see.

Middle East sales rose 17 per cent and while those in China went up by 11 per cent. Several countries recorded strong sales performances, including Germany, Japan, Qatar and Canada.

During the year, 15 new dealerships opened across the world, taking the total to 120 for the first time in the company’s history. Further dealership expansion is planned for 2014.

“I stated at the beginning of last year that I wished to see further sustainable growth, I am therefore delighted with this fourth successive record year, a result that reaffirms our leadership of the super-luxury segment,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, chief executive officer of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “This is an extraordinary British manufacturing success story borne out of a commitment to delivering only the very finest super-luxury goods. I am particularly satisfied to report that this result is based on a balanced global sales picture, with continued success in emerging markets paving the way for future sustainable growth.”

Last year, UK car exports overall generated over £30 billion for the economy – a rise of around 7 per cent.∎