Bentley Motors Limited is an English manufacturer of luxury automobiles and Grand Tourers. Bentley Motors was founded in England on January 18, 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley, known as W.O. Bentley or just "W.O." (1888–1971). He was previously known for his successful range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later versions of the Sopwith Camel. Since 1998 the company has been owned by the Volkswagen Group.
1998– Arnage saloon , 1999– Hunaudieres Concept, 2002– State Limousine, 2003– Continental GT coupé, 2005– Continental Flying Spur saloon, 2006– Azure convertible, 2006– Continental GTC convertible, 2007– Bentley Brooklands coupé.
Arnage, Azure, Brooklands, Classics, Continental, EXP Speed 8. In 2002, Bentley presented Queen Elizabeth II with an official State Limousine to celebrate the Golden Jubilee. In 2003, Bentley's 2-door convertible, the Bentley Azure, ceased production, and the company introduced the Bentley Continental GT, a large luxury coupe. The car is powered by a version of VW's W-12 engine. Demand had been so great that the factory at Crewe, Cheshire, had been unable to satisfy it despite installed capacity of approximately 9500 vehicles a year. There was a waiting list of over a year for new cars to be delivered. Consequently, production of the new Flying Spur, a four-door version of the Continental GT, was assigned to the Transparent Factory, where the VW Phaeton luxury car is also assembled. This arrangement ceased at the end of 2006, all car production reverted to the Crewe plant.
In April, 2005, Bentley confirmed plans to produce a 4-seat convertible model, the Azure, derived from the Arnage Drophead Coupe prototype, at Crewe beginning in 2006. By the fall of 2005, the convertible version of the successful Continental GT, the Continental GTC was also presented. These two models were successfully launched in late 2006. Bentley sales have been strong in 2005 with 8,627 sold worldwide, 3,654 of these vehicles were sold in the United States. Since the successful launch of the Continental GT, GTC and Flying Spur producing a new halo model to replace the Arnage has become a priority as against the Rolls Royce and Maybach rivals the car is commonly said to be showing its age.
A new Arnage would most probably be based on a chassis designed for the next generation Audi A8 due to its versatility. The new car is expected for the 2010 model year and is said to take styling cues from the coachbuilt Bentley for the British Royal family. In 2008 and 2009 the Continental GTC and Flying Spur are widely expected to receive the changes already made to the Continental GT; new front splitter, chrome headlight surrounds among other changes.
Since Bentleys induction into the VW Group rumours of an SUV style vehicle have surfaced repeatedly. These have been shot down by Bentley employees as the idea would not fit into their future plans and also the fact that the manufacturing facilities are already running at full capacity. Borrowing hybrid technology developed by Bentley owners VW Group is another focusing point as the trend towards hybrid cars is expanding year on year.
