Bentley is experiencing one of the sweetest moments in its history. The British firm ended 2020 with great results despite the circumstances. The British firm plans a future that is committed to shedding Porsche’s technical heritage, its great burden.
There is no doubt that the past year 2020 was one of the most difficult in our history, and that of car manufacturers also because of the Covid-19 pandemic around the world. But luxury brands did not have major problems, quite the opposite because they ended the year with results, in the words of those responsible, as positive as they were totally unexpected.
Bentley It was one of them, and now it faces a future marked by electrification. However, not everything is a bed of roses, because despite having given a greater prominence to Mulliner, the Crewe firm continues to see how their models do not leave the commercial margin that other manufacturers such as Lamborghini. Interestingly, a brand belonging to the same German group.
Bentley’s future moves closer to Audi to earn more
Although they are completely different concepts, with Italians focused on competition performance rather than the most exquisite luxury, at Bentley they understand that their net margin should be higher given the synergies with another brand in the group, assuming a benefit that is not real. . Of the three models for sale –Continental GT, Flying spur and Bentayga– only the latter is the one that offers the highest income, so the British brand knows exactly where the problem is: it is called Porsche.
All three are based on the MSB platform of the German sports car brand.So they have an innate Porsche pedigree for many technical modifications they make to suit Bentley qualities. Something that will change soon, well the idea is to move to the Audi platforms. This change of direction will mean that many will wonder if it makes sense, considering that the one with the four rings and Porsche are more united than ever. And it does, because The Bentayga is based on the MLB Evo platform from the Q7 and its margins are huge.
The truth is that, despite this union in certain fields, there is a great difference between the two Germans. At Porsche, they put performance before luxury, while at Audi it is just the other way around, more comfort on board and high performance. A quality that does not exclude the other if the measures are taken into account, and with an addition that can be a long-term problem: the fact that the British is considered the luxury brand with the four rings if it decides to move forward with Horch, despite the great distance that separates both brands.