Bentley to stop building cars for six weeks
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Bentley Continental Speed
As expected, Bentley will be forced to slow production of its high-end luxury cars for several weeks over the next few months. According to Bentley's U.S. spokesman David Reuter, the newer Continental line will shut down for a period of seven weeks, while the slightly more mature Arnage production line will go on hiatus for six weeks. Over the course of 2008, sales dropped by roughly 30%, leading Bentley's factory in Crewe to cut production by about 15% and things aren't expected to improve in 2009. Regardless, Bentley's German ownership isn't yanking development dollars from the British brand, so any new products that were slated for introduction in 2009 are still on schedule.
Gallery: 2008 Bentley Continental GT Speed
[Source: Inside Line]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dave 11:29AM (1/28/2009)
GASP!!! A company doing the responsible thing and cutting back production as demand falls?!?!?! How dare they!!!!! Build build build until you bankrupt Bentley because those workers need their jobs and its your job(Bentley) to pay them and then take the blame for having to fire them when you go bankrupt.
This is how EVERYTHING is supposed to work. From Bentley, Ford, to Pioneer and Sony for TVs to local state and federal government. A very simple concept. Less demand= less $$$ coming in which in turn means you should produce less until the demand rises. Everyone who touches money should take a play from bentley's book on this one.
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Colin Smith 11:51AM (1/28/2009)
Agreed. But all auto companies have cut back production, and still the buyers are staying away in droves. The market looks to have shrunk systemically and until confidence, jobs and cheap money return sales of big ticket goods will stay down. It is very wise to carry on development though, because when confidence does return ? people will want the newest and the best, not re-hashes of old models.
Hal 4:08PM (1/28/2009)
It is how it's supposed to work. But it still will put a hurt on companies and jobs and even commodities. I follow precious metals with the widget http://www.learcapital.com/exactprice and platinum, one of the key ingredients in exhaust systems taken a huge hit over the last year because of the auto sales and factory closures like this. And of course Bentley isn't the only car company to do this.
Did you see the photos at the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/gallery/2009/jan/16/unsold-cars?picture=341883529
All those new cars just sitting with no where to go is a pity.
Dave 12:08PM (1/28/2009)
Thats the world of big ticket items like a car and a house. We have transformed society to the point where people think its their right to a car and a house. Both of these industries are taking a hit as they should be. People can buy used and can rent as options and they should in times where money is tight as it is now. But you are right, keeping up development is what is going to push Bentley to recoup its losses in the future when the economy recovers. I wish that GM and especially Honda would do the same. Im very disappointed as Honda is usally way ahead of her time(NSX the daily driving supercar) or very far behind her time(S2000, about 5 years too late I feel). I guess they want to be very far behind the times when things rebound. I cant imagine that the amount of R&D money being spent on a basic platform design without the fancy gadgets is going to bankrupt HMC. The complete termination of the V8 and RWD chasis is unforgivable. Cutting back on the electronic aid and fancy gadget research I can see, but a whole platform that can easily have gadgets integrated in when cash flow comes back stronger? There is no room in the market for a simple RWD V8 platform with tracion control and other goodies from the RL that have already been researched? I just cant buy that. People will buy a simple RWD sedan just for that reason. Its simple!!! Everything is so complex these days. I pine for the rules of the British cottage auto industry that allows small volume manufacters to skirt safety and emissions laws.
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Kitko 1:06PM (1/28/2009)
That means they'll built 10 less in a year....
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MachinaDC5 1:39PM (1/28/2009)
I was about to post and say "So one less car this year, huh?" but you got it in before I did.
Well done.
Richard S. 8:33AM (1/30/2009)
Bravo Bentley. Reduce supply to meet demand. Helps keep the brand and resale value for existing customers. I guess with the way the financial and real estate markets are going, not many people are going to get the bonuses to allow them to splurge on a Bentley. Having said that, many are hoping that their real end of year bonus is that they will still have a job tomorrow.
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