Double figure growth for Bentley Motors

Bentley's chairman and chief executive Wolfgang Schreiber suggested that this result cements Bentley's position as the leading manufacturer of luxury vehicles in the world. "2012 has been an excellent year for Bentley," said Schreiber (pictured). "This strong performance was possible due to our continuing investment in new models and the hard work and commitment of a highly motivated Bentley team. We expect the luxury market in 2013 to continue to be challenging but, with significant new model introductions, we believe we have the potential to maintain growth throughout the year." The Americas finished 2012 as Bentley's largest global market, with 2,457 cars delivered to customers in the region, a 22% increase on 2011. China followed closely with 2,253 cars delivered, Bentley's largest ever volume in the region and a 23% increase on 2011. The Middle East region performed very well with deliveries up 44% to 815 cars. Asia Pacific also increased its deliveries by 44% to 358 cars while Japan saw exceptional growth of 73% with 190 deliveries. The new 500hp V8 engine has been extremely successful with customers, accounting for almost a fifth of total sales and attracting a large number of new customers to the brand. The W12 Continental GT and GT Convertible also maintained strong support, jointly accounting for over a third of all sales. The flagship Mulsanne saw sustained growth of 10%. Four out of every ten Mulsannes built in Crewe were sold in China, where the popularity of the pinnacle limousine was boosted by the Diamond Jubilee special edition. The Flying Spur also continued to sell well, particularly in China, Bentley's largest four door market.