Venter says that his decision to take on the distribution of Bentley is based in part on the brand's positioning within the Volkswagen Group. "Porsche, Bentley and Bugatti are part of one business unit in the group now. We have been offered many great brands over the years and declined them," says Venter.
"Bentley is part of the Porsche business unit and its pricing model takes off where Porsche pricing stops. There are lots of historical parallels between the brands. Both are purist brands.
Neil Wilford, Bentley's regional manager for Middle East, Africa and India says: "We are delighted to have LSM Distributors Group as our new retailer partner, and we look forward to a long and successful relationship," says
Bentley, based in Crewe in England, is entering a new era with the firm set to launch its Bentayga luxury SUV in SA next month with a starting price of R3,987,000. Its arrival marks the beginning of a super luxury SUV battle, with Maserati due to launch its first SUV, the Levante, later this year and Rolls-Royce developing its own take on the genre in the form of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
Venter is confident that the Bentayga will boost sales for the brand in SA and while he would not divulge exact numbers, he says the order books are filling up. "The timing for acquiring the rights to distribute the brand could not have been better," says Venter.
The Bentayga is the start of a series of new models coming from the brand including a new Continental GT in 2018 which will share a platform with the next generation Porsche Panamera.
Venter has already taken over the former Toyota showroom in Melrose Arch as the Joburg home of Bentley and is looking at a facility in Cape Town.
Source: Business Day
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