Skip to main content
The Markets by Proactive
Go to Proactive UK

Manufacturing & engineering

Bentley sales drop a gear as UK and China demand ease

Sales of Bentley cars around the world fell 11% last year, with the Volkswagen-owned luxury brand hit by a drop-off in demand in the UK and China.

But the Crewe-based carmaker said 2023 was its third-best year as it delivered 13,560 cars, which was down on the 15,174 sold the year before, which was a record year.

A trend it noted was an increase in customers ordering cars through the marque's bespoke options and choosing higher-cost models.

Bentley and Volkswagen have said that the focusing for the brand is on the profit made from each sale rather than chasing sales volumes.

Around three-quarters of its customers chose bespoke features from its Mulliner personal coachbuilding team – a 43% rise over the prior year.

Around 70% of sales were of higher revenue models such as Azure, S and Speed, up from a 30% share in 2022.

The best-selling model remained the Bentayga SUV (pictured), accounting for 44% of sales.