Bentley's Chinese sales fall 23% in first half of 2013

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai July 12) - Bentley has just released its Chinese performance review for the first half of the year, auto.qq.com reported today. According to the review, a total of 817 Bentleys were purchased in the country from January to June, down 23 percent from the figure reported a year ago. By comparison, 4,279 Bentleys were sold worldwide during the same time period, representing positive year-on-year growth of 8.9 percent.

The luxury marque attributes its falling sales in China to the fact that its redesigned Flying Spur (pictured) has yet to be introduced to the country. The new Flying Spur is scheduled to make its Chinese debut in early August, at which time the marque's Chinese sales are expected to grow again. The Flying Spur series is responsible for over half of Bentley's sales in the country.

Chinese sales growth rates for two of Bentley's other models in the country, the Continental GT and the Mulsanne, reached a respectable 24 percent.

Bentley took steps to further develop its sales network, adding 14 new certified dealerships worldwide over the first six months of the year. The manufacturer's largest market for that time period was the United States, which was responsible for 1,282 new orders. It was followed by China and Europe, with six-month sales of the latter totaling 740 units.