 It’s not as if it is mind-blowing hot looking. |
Bentley shows $300,000 ‘difficult business case,’ the Mulsanne – Automotive News — You must assume that these geniuses had this thing in the works long before the collapse of the economy. Why it wasn’t simply scrubbed and the prototypes sold off is a mystery.
Recession or not, British luxury icon Bentley Motors Ltd. pulled the wraps off of a new flagship sedan here Sunday that will retail for close to $300,000.The Mulsanne, replaces the soon-to-be discontinued Arnage as Bentley’s global halo car in what the Volkswagen AG unit calls “the pinnacle of the ultra-luxury segment.””There’s a very difficult business case for this car,” admitted Franz-Josef Paefgen, Bentley’s CEO. “The hope here is not to create volume, but to create a flagship.”
Bentley has suffered along with the rest of the auto industry over the past year. The brand swung to operating loss of 114 million euros $163 million at current exchange rates in the first half from a 85 million euro operating profit the year before.The company will likely sell about 5,000 vehicles in 2009, down from its peak of approximately 10,000 two years ago
“It’s not as if it is mind-blowing hot looking.”
Sure, but I still want one.
Adam’s plane cost more than that…
Don’t we all agree rich people should spend their money as they wish and shouldn’t free capitalists be allowed to produce whatever products they think will sell?
So, VW continues the line of cars to maintain their niche position.
Its a business decision in an appropriate free market activity. No one should/does care one way or the other. Thats a real key for understanding free markets. Everything about them is irrelevant.
I guess times are tough all over….
WTH, if they can sell ’em…. The Arabs are still stealing our money….
First impression. Ugly.
Struck me as a cross between an Avante, a late model Chrysler sedan (take your pick) and a pig.
Nonetheless, I’ll take one if offered.
It’s also the basis for the upcoming revision of the Audi A8. Giving up now would cede the top of the automobile market to Rolls Royce. This is a pivotal car for Bentley. Their chance of succes for the next 20 years or so is based on this car. Cancelling it would certainly mean the end for Bentley as they would not be in a postion te compete anymore.
These hi-hi-hi-end luxury cars are not there to really make a profit for the base company. VW Spends a lot of money just to have some flagship models up there, like a foot on the door. How many Veyrons were sold? Does VW even breaks even on those? What about Phaetons (don’t know what it is? VW’s own pinnacle of line) Never seen one around. And these aren’t even the most expensive cars:
Veyron $1.700.000
Enzo $1.000.000
Zonda $ 741.000
Konigsegg $ 600.000
CarreraGT $ 484.000
Mercedes SLR $ 455.500
Maybach62 $ 385.250
RR phantom $ 320.000
Murcielago $ 279.900
Vanquish $ 255.000
Granted, most of these are Super Sports cars, but even the sedans are more expensive than Bentley’s.
And by the way, usually the crisis is one of the best time for the rich to get richer…
Why introduce a luxury car in this world recession?
1. It’s the same stiff upper lip from those British blokes that drove them to wear red coats and march in a line against enemy fire. Hardcore or just plain foolish depends on whom you ask.
2. The ultrawealthy spend heavily on luxury goods and services even when empires crumble. In fact it may be because of the recession. For example, note the parties thrown during the Great Depression to get the ultrawealthy out of the doldrums. History Detectives for the win chums!
In the end, would I introduce such a car now? No but then no one asked me, Bentley is not known for economical cars, and I don’t have investors to please. Maybe they are hoping against what reason shows?
OR maybe they’re part of the Council of Adam Curry (AKA the Council of Foreign Relations) and they KNOW something we don’t? Like Adam Curry is a secret British agent who has moved back to America to introduce Bentley for the Cash for Clunkers program?
I was so excited I forgot to spell Bentley correctly on account that Richard Hammond was scampering around the office and Captain Slow couldn’t stop him.
Cor Blimey Gunvah!
The only time I have seen a Bentley mentioned in the nonautomotive press is when an NBA player has some altercation around his car.
#11, Cap’n,
Well they do have leg room.
If I had $300,000 to spend on a car… I’d probably just use the money to buy a house, a Honda Civic, and lots of gold.
Paefgen’s alleged offbeat comment, “There’s a very difficult business case for this car”, may be a mistranslation.
$13 “If I had $300,000 to spend on a car…”
People who actually have $300K to spend on a car (and don’t really care how much it costs) already own 6 houses, 4 Lexus, 3 Range rovers and have large bricks of gold.
Some people have said to me “If I won the lottery I’d invest it wisely”. Why? You’d be rich – spend it like a drunken sailor and have a good time.
I agree with #15, this is bogus. The filthy rich will always be up for a 300k car; there are tens of thousands of people world wide with more than $100M net worth, this car’s price is in the round off error in the tax calculation some people.
A couple of months ago a Chinese company bought the Hummer brand…there are tons of filthy rich people around the world that don’t care about how much a car or gas costs.
flagship? or boat anchor?
I can’t see the image in Chrome, tried with IE8, also no joy, Firefox also…
Anyway, I’d say rich people aren’t suffering the crisis. Here in Portugal Ferrari increased it’s sales this year!!! And we’re not what you’d call a rich country. But there’s wealthy people around!
#8, I heard on Top Gear that VW spends 5 times the price of the Veyron to make it!!! It’s taking a 400% hit on every one it sells. Now THAT’S good value for money! 😀
#19
Yet it tops the most expensive cars top10 list…
ps. Bemvindo Miguel.
Yup, hyper-rich people keep subsidizing each other…
Thanks João. It’s been a while since I last commented here, hope to be back longer this time.
And YIKES, this Bentley is butt-ugly!!!! Give me my 15 yo Honda Concerto 😉
That’s OK. They can sell these to Al Gore and his cronies who will be gazillionaires from carbon credit trading.
All the pimps already have put Bentley logos on their Chrysler 300s…