Luxury automaker Bentley Motors delivered 1,185 cars in the Middle East in 2013, as against 815 cars in 2012, reflecting a record growth of 45 per cent.

The British carmaker also a 38 per cent rise in sales of its flagship model, the Mulsanne, in the region.

Globally, Bentley delivered 10,120 cars globally in 2013, the highest figure in the company’s 95-year history, as against 8,510 in 2012, marking an increase of 19 per cent.

The Americas region maintained its number one market position, while Asia Pacific and Europe, particularly Germany and the UK, posted substantial gains over the previous year. The global sales network also increased by 11 per cent, to 193 showrooms.

“2013 marks our fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth, establishing ourselves as the most sought after luxury car brand in the world,” said Dr Wolfgang Schreiber, Bentley’s chairman and chief executive.

“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.”

New models were critical to this success, he pointed out.

In 2013 Bentley launched the new 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 - a phenomenal reception, considering the average yearly sales of 2,700 cars of its predecessor, the Continental Flying Spur, during its seven year tenure.

Deliveries also commenced for Bentley’s open-top performance flagship, the Continental GT Speed Convertible. The Continental family now has four distinct models, with the recently unveiled GT V8 S added to the range. This gives V8 customers a choice for the first time.

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 per cent, a market leading position in a segment that decreased by 6 per cent.

Bentley’s number one market throughout 2013 was the Americas region, finishing the year delivering 28 per cent (3,140 cars) more cars than 2012 (2,457 cars), and 31 per cent of the total deliveries. China remained the second biggest market, with 2,191 cars delivered in total over the year, against the previous year (2,253 cars).

In Europe, deliveries were up by 11 per cent, with 1,480 cars delivered to customers. Bentley’s home market, the UK, also saw impressive gains, delivering 1,381 cars, a 25 per cent increase on 2012 (1,104 cars). Overall, this means that 86 per cent of Bentley’s cars were shipped abroad.

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, Japan saw growth of 53 per cent, delivering 291 cars against a total of 190 cars in 2012.

Bentley Motors employs around 4,000 people in Crewe which is home to all its operations including design, R&D, engineering and production. – TradeArabia News Service