Bentley Motors appoints new product director
29/02/2012
In his new role, Mr Büscher will have responsibility for all marketing and product activities, including brand strategy and development, event management and the Bentley Collection, which includes limited-edition luxury leathergoods made under licence by high-end leathergoods company Robert Ettinger.
On taking up the job, he said: "Bentley is a fantastic brand so it was incredibly flattering to be asked to join what is already a very successful team. I have been amazed by the passion and commitment of everyone involved with the Bentley marque. My immediate challenge is to see how we can communicate that enthusiasm and passion to new customers."
The company employs almost 4,000 people in Crewe, which is home to all its operations including design, research and development, engineering and production. It believes the combination of fine craftsmanship, using skills that have been handed down through generations, alongside engineering expertise and cutting-edge technology is unique to UK luxury vehicle manufacturers such as Bentley.
Bentley exports over £500 million worth of goods every year to established markets like the US, as well as emerging markets such as China and South America.
Its global sales for 2011 increased by 37% with 7,003 cars delivered. This growth was led by the Chinese region (1,839 cars sold) with mainland China up 104.2% (1,664 cars). However, the Americas remains the biggest market for Bentley with 2,021 cars delivered (up 32%) in 2011. All major markets were up with Europe up by over 50%, thanks mainly to high demand in Germany (up by nearly 90%). The UK market proved to be more challenging, but still saw an increase of over 5%. It says it has "ambitious but realistic plans" to continue this growth in 2012.
According to the company, the surge in sales last year was led by demand for the new Continental GT. Over one third of all Bentley sales in 2011 were GTs with 2,404 delivered. The vehicle's interior is is trimmed with "soft-touch leathers" and is hand-crafted in Bentley’s workshops in Crewe.
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