Australians may be crazy for SUVs, but Bentley’s coupe and convertible models are holding their own.
2023 was the best year for Bentley sales in Australia ever with 229 cars sold – up 12.8 per cent on the previous year.
Its two-door Continental GT and GTC range was up 28 per cent on the previous year.
Bentley says its vehicles account for nearly one in four “high-end” luxury cars sold in Australia, all from just six retailers across the country.
The brand has a well-balanced model split between its two-door grand tourers and its more practical four- and five-door models.
Last year, the two-door Continental GT and GTC accounted for 46 per cent of Bentley’s sales in Australia, narrowly behind the Bentayga (47 per cent). The Flying Spur (7 per cent) rounded out the range.
Moreover, from a per capita perspective, Australia is one of the top five largest markets for the Continental GT.
70 per cent of buyers also added a bespoke Mulliner option to their vehicle, an increase of 35 per cent on the year before.
And of Bentley’s various grades which include Azure, Speed and Mulliner, almost 40 per cent chose the ‘wellbeing and comfort’ option of the Azure.
Apparently, spending more on your Bentley isn’t just an Australian thing either, it’s a global trend according to Bentley’s chief communications and diversity and inclusion officer, Wayne Bruce.
“Increasing personalisation, where customers are spending even more on their cars also means the average price of a Bentley is going up,” said Mr Bruce.
“Not because we’re inflating our prices, mind, but because clients will tick the box of one of our new derivatives like Azure, which is the most popular in Australia given the additional spec it delivers, then they’ll also go further with paint, a different stitch, or even go to Mulliner for things like wheel trim and self-levelling Bentley Bs for example.
“Not only is this trend helping to drive profits, it also allows us to self-fund Bentley’s electrified future to the tune of three-billion euros.”
Bentley also boasts a high percentage of female customers, according to Mr Bruce, though he says it’s difficult to collate the data or get a breakdown of the gender split.
He did say, however, that both the Continental GT and Bentayga models were the principle catalysts for attracting more women to the brand, the majority of whom use these cars as their daily drivers.
There’s also another explanation for the steady rise in Bentley global sales and it centres around the fact Bentley itself is now bolder when specifying company demonstrators.
The company, part of the Volkswagen Group, offers a staggering 46 billion different configurations available from the marque’s factory in Crewe, England.
