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Bentley bets on India and China
| Launches high-speed variant of Continental Flying Spur family |
HIGH-END: Satya Bagla (right), Managing Director, Exclusive Motors Pvt. Ltd, with Chris Buxton, Regional Director, Bentley Motors (Middle East, Africa and India), at the launch of Continental Flying Spur Speed in New Delhi on Friday.
NEW DELHI: One of the world’s most expensive carmakers Bentley on Friday said it would focus on emerging market such as India to boost sales to compensate for the slowdown in developed economies.
“There has been a slowdown in the global automobile market and we are expecting to compensate this slowdown by demand in emerging markets like India, China and Middle East,” Bentley Motors Regional Director (Middle East, Africa and India) Chris Buxton told reporters here.
The U.K.-based firm, which started its operation in India in 2003, has so far sold over 100 cars in the country, he said, adding”... we are expecting to sell about 30-35 units this year.”
“India is a strong growing economy and a further growth in the Indian auto market was a key part of the company’s overall future growth, Mr. Buxton said.
In Asia, the company sold the maximum number of cars in China and the U.S. is its biggest global market.
The company on Friday launched the high-speed variant of its existing model, Continental Flying Spur, in the Indian market, priced at about Rs. 2.50 crore (ex-showroom).
With the launch of the speed variant, the company was targeting to sell about ten units of the Flying Spur family a year, he added.
The Volkswagen group company, which at present offers all of its models to Indian consumers, is also planning to bring a new model into the country in two years that is being at present developed in the U.K. Bentley sold over 10,000 units globally in 2007 and its current order backlog is 30 cars. — PTI
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