As it is now, the North American market represents close to 30% of Bentley’s sales worldwide, or 3,186 cars. Overall, 2014 saw a 9% increase for global sales- not an outright jump in figures, but a good improvement over the previous year.
Despite reaching market saturation in some regions, it was the introduction of new models that helped to propel Bentley’s sales figures through the year. Buyers are always looking for the latest and greatest, and Bentley launched the Continental GT V8S, Flying Spur V8, and the Continental GT Speed.
The Detroit Motorshow sees Bentley launching three new models to kick off the year. The Mulsanne Speed is one of the more notable models, sporting a re-engineered powertrain with forced induction for a total of 537 PS and 1100 Nm of torque. Specific to the Mulsanne Speed is a selectable sports suspension and steering system, much like the adaptive systems one would find in sports cars.
Two models sporting Bentley’s twin-turbo W12 powertrain are also on show for the Detroit Motorshow. The first is the Continental GT Speed Convertible, which gets a slight power and torque bump to 635 PS and 820 Nm of torque. Changes to the front splitter, sideskirts, and rear diffuser have been made to provide a more aggressive look than the contemporary Bentley luxury styling. The interior also gets Speed specific colour-split tones as a matter of exclusivity.
Next up is the Flying Spur. Expect all the standard luxuries for a Bentley, but once again the main engineering effort has been focused on improving the power to weight ratio. With 625 PS and 800 Nm of torque, the Flying Spur has a 14% improvement in power to weight over the previous generation. Being a four door model in contrast to the other two models on show, the Flying Spur also emphasises the ability to work or relax on the move for rear seat occupants.
