Sales of luxury Bentleys soar, even in Britain

(Getty Images)

Bentley's sales leapt last year, driven by strong demand from the US and China for the latest Continental model.

The luxury car maker, based in Crewe and owned by Volkswagen, said yesterday that it sold 7,003 cars last year, an increase of 37 per cent on the previous 12 months. Sales accelerated throughout the year, with December producing the second-best monthly total of 1,059, up 69 per cent on the same month in 2010. "It has been a tremendously good year for Bentley," said the company's chief executive Wolfgang Dürheimer.

Sales of Bentleys to America rose more than a third to 2,021, those to China almost doubled to 1,839, and the UK saw a 5 per cent rise to 1,031.