By Guy Taylor
Bentley Motors reported its third best ever year of luxury car sales in 2023, driven by record demand from wealthy consumers splashing out to personalise their models.
Some 13,560 luxury cars were sold, with around three-quarters of customers choosing to add bespoke features to their vehicle, an increase of 43 per cent year-on-year.
The stately brand’s Mulliner division is making a killing for the firm by offering a range of personalisation options. Bentley said the level of demand indicated a desire “for truly unique exclusivity in the luxury industry.”
One tailored offer involves building a lamp into the vehicle’s door, which projects the owner’s name or an image onto the ground at night. Another involves adding a polished chrome overlay to the fascia on the passenger side of the vehicle.
Bentley’s strong financial performance still marked an 11 per cent decline on 2022, when profits went haywire due to a shift in consumer buying patterns.
The luxury market has proved resistant to a wider downturn in demand caused by the cost of living crisis, with brands like Ferrari and Porsche reporting bumper profits throughout 2023.
Customers were increasingly opting for higher revenue models such as the Azure, S and Speed, the mix of which jumped from 30 to 70 per cent year-on-year, Bentley said.
The marque noted “difficult” conditions in some of its global markets persisted but said it had seen positive growth in Asia Pacific, the Middle East, India and Africa. America remained its biggest selling region.
Adrian Hallmark, Chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors, said: “The luxury market was not immune from the challenging market conditions seen around the world in the second half of 2023 and despite this we were able to deliver our third highest retail position in history and enter 2024 with a strong order bank. “
“Building on this, our quality of sales was much greater, with significant increases in our higher value derivatives, and a significant growth in demand for bespoke personalisation.”
He added: “We remain cautiously optimistic for the year ahead, with a continued robust global demand by market and model, high levels of interest in our hybrid models and with more to follow this year.”
