The first edition of the Bentley Continental GT 2020
Mack Hogan | CNBC
Bentley Motors sold a record number of luxury sedans and SUVs last year, while the rest of the auto industry struggled to stop losses due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 101-year-old carmaker said on Tuesday.
The Volkswagen-owned company sold 11,206 vehicles in 2020 – despite the seven-week closure of its plant in England during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic last spring. The company sold 11,006 cars in 2019.
Bentley sells some of the most expensive and rarest cars in the world. Its entry-level SUV, the Bentayga, starts at about $ 180,000, while the most exclusive model, the Mulliner Bacalar, sells for about $ 2 million.
Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark said he was “cautiously optimistic” about business in 2021 “as it remains highly uncertain,” according to a press release. He said last year’s record sales were a “strong measure” of the company’s potential as it pivots to become a fully electric company by 2030.
Sales in America rose 4.2% to remain Bentley’s top 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 offset declining sales in the UK, Europe and the Middle East in 2020.