NEWS

LUXURY car maker Bentley Motors has announced the appointment of a new chairman and chief executive. Wolfgang Dürheimer, 52, (pictured right) has accepted the influential role and joins the firm from Porsche AG where he was executive vice-president, research and development. Dürheimer said: ‘I am flattered by the trust put in me by the Volkswagen Group. [...]

BRIDFORD Motor Finance is continuing its national growth by welcoming a Ferrari Financial Services man. Barry Hyde has joined the firm to use his contacts with key decision makers at the UK’s top 200 car dealer groups. He will talk with them and explain the benefits of working with Bridford, he said, and how it [...]

BENTLEY is reporting a positive response to its new Continental GT from the people who matter… … the buyers. Making its debut here in Paris, specially-invited guests are showing their approval, while enthusiastic customers who have already seen it also like what they see, said a spokesman. Deliveries for the new car start in February [...]

BENTLEY is recalling around 600 cars after a British car dealer spotted a problem with the flying B badge. The unnamed car dealer noticed corrosion around the famous bonnet badge during the exhaustive all-round checks carried out during servicing. This meant it didn’t actually retract into the bonnet upon impact as it should do. If [...]

BENTLEY has announced the mutual-consent departure of sales & marketing board member Stuart McCullough. Alasdair Stewart has been appointed in his place, as of today. It’s a return to Bentley for Stewart after Stuart’s departure (see how it could become confusing..?!). He moves from a board position for sales at Bugatti. Stewart is a Bentley [...]

NEW Bentley saloons don’t come along every day. Indeed, if you want to know what the last all-new Bentley range-topper was, you need to flick the history books all the way back to 1930. That’s when the 8-Litre was unveiled, a car that WO Bentley personally oversaw to the nth degree. Unfortunately, his attention to [...]

BENTLEY customers are demanding automotive connoisseurs that will accept no compromises in their cars. It is this, explained engineering boss Dr Ulrich Eichhorn to Car Dealer Magazine, that makes developing a new Bentley one of the most demanding jobs in the world… … And it is feedback from car dealers that helps focus the engineers [...]

BENTLEY will sell 1 in every 2 cars able to run on eco E85 bioethanol by the end of the year. Engineering boss Dr Ulrich Eichhorn told Car Dealer Magazine the green fuel changes made to the Supersport W12 engine will, over the next few months, extend to the rest of the Continental range. ‘Independent [...]

JCT600 has just opened a new-look Bentley car dealership in Newcastle, after a big-money investment. The £400,000 facility has transformed the Silverlink Business Park car dealer. What’s it bought? A brand new reception area, all-new servicing facilities and what’s described as a ‘state of the art’ car showroom. The facelift has taken 3 months to [...]

BENTLEY Norwich has joined 16-outlet East of England firm the Vindis Group, as the business continues growth. Vindis, which buys the firm from the Sytner Group, says the latest move is a sign of further intent. ‘Everyone at the dealership has warmly welcomed the new partnership as Vindis Group has the size, resources and expertise [...]

BENTLEY has pulled the covers off its all-new Rolls-Royce Phantom rival – the Mulsanne luxury saloon. It has just been shown at the super-posh Pebble Beach bash in California… and really has stolen the show. Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen, Chairman of Bentley, revealed the firm hadn’t approached the new car lightly. ‘The challenge we set our [...]

BENTLEY dealers. They’re selling loads of used cars. The problem is the new side. What they need is something to get the confidence going. How about, then, a 200mph convertible? With 600bhp? That does 60mph in 4.5 seconds? And, with 750Nm of torque, has enough grunt to pull a whole housing estate down?  That should [...]

BENTLEY is just about to open its expensively revamped customer facility at the Crewe factory. Why go to the expense? Because it is a crucial part of the selling process, reports the manufacturer. A spokesman revealed the surprise figures to Car Dealer Magazine: 20 people or more can visit the factory for a tour and [...]

BENTLEY dealers are coping in a tough market by turning to the used market – but it may be under threat. A spokesman revealed that, so far in 2009, Bentley dealers have continued to sell cars. Bentley Manchester alone, for example, has sold nearly 50 cars since the start of the year. Many of these [...]