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Bentley Notes
Bentley Motors is the third largest R&D investor in the UK's automotive sector and the 18th largest nationally. The company employs almost 4,000 people in Crewe which is home to all its operations
including design, R&D, engineering and production. The combination of fine craftsmanship, using skills that have been handed down through generations, alongside engineering expertise and cutting-edge technology
is unique to UK luxury vehicle manufacturers such as Bentley. It is also an example of high-value British manufacturing at its best. Bentley exports over £500m worth of goods every year to established markets like
the US, as well as emerging markets such as China and South America.
Bentley has made a strong start to 2012 with a year-on-year global sales increase of 47% and 894 cars delivered to customers. In China sales were up 66% with 324 cars delivered whilst in the US we
delivered 251 cars (+29% over the same period). European sales continue to grow strongly, up 39%. After a challenging year in 2011, the UK has started 2012 with a strong 16% sales increase. The Middle East has also
significantly increased its sales performance by 55% with 93 cars delivered to customers.
Bentley's global sales for 2011 increased by 37% with 7,003 cars delivered. This growth was led by the Chinese region (1839 cars delivered) with mainland China (excl. Hong Kong and Taiwan) up 104.17%
(1664 cars). However, the Americas remains the biggest market for Bentley with 2,021 cars delivered (up 32%) in 2011. All major markets were up with Europe up by over a half, due mainly to high demand in Germany (up
by nearly 90%). The UK market proved to be more challenging, but still saw an increase of over five per cent. The surge in sales was led by demand for the new Continental GT. Over one third of all Bentleys sold in
2011 were GTs with 2404 delivered to customers. December 2011 was Bentley's best month since the recession and the second highest ever, boosted by the first deliveries of the new soft-top Continental GTC.
BENTLEY APPRENTICE AMONGST VOLKSWAGEN GROUP'S GLOBAL BEST, Wolfsburg/Crewe, 25th November 2011: The Volkswagen Group has just presented its "Best Apprentice Award" to its
top young achievers from all over the world. Bentley's Louis Warburton, Apprentice Ambassador for the UK's National Apprenticeship Service and a junior engineer, was one of the 27 apprentices from twelve countries
recognised for outstanding professional competence. The ceremony took place on the occasion of a meeting of the Volkswagen Group Board of Management and the Global Group Works Council in Stuttgart.
The awards were presented by Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, Dr. Horst Neumann, Member of the Board of Management responsible for
Human Resources, and Bernd Osterloh, President of the Global Group Works Council.
Prof. Winterkorn underscored: "On the road to becoming the world's most sustainable automaker Volkswagen needs every single employee – particularly tomorrow's top performers. The Volkswagen Group
brands will shine even brighter in future with committed and motivated young employees like those we are honouring today."
Dr. Neumann emphasised, "For Volkswagen's continued success we must master profound
changes in fields such as lightweight construction, vehicle electronics and electric traction. That can only be achieved with much dedication and the highest specialist competence. These apprentices set the
benchmark in this context. At the same time, the introduction of transnational training standards is paying off." This year, the Volkswagen Group is training 12,145 apprentices worldwide, with 8,736 of these based
in Germany.
In the UK, Bentley has seen a 300 per cent increase in apprenticeship applications in 2011. Christine Gaskell, Bentley Motors' Member of the Board for Personnel, said, "Bentley has always been
strongly committed to skills development and apprenticeships and is very active in promoting careers in the industry. This award for Louis is testament to his own passion and enthusiasm and to the commitment of the
Company in developing the very best from all our staff."
Osterloh said: "We are very proud of our apprentices and their achievements. The young colleagues we are honouring today make us very optimistic about the further development of our company. The Works
Council will continue to advocate investing in training all over the world, thereby safeguarding employment perspectives for young men and women."
Apart from attending the "Best Apprentice Award" ceremony, the young people are also taking part in a programme spanning several days. They have already visited the Baden-Württemberg capital city of
Stuttgart and the Porsche plant, museum and training centre for automotive mechatronics fitters. A driver safety training session will also be part of the programme.
Bentley convertible achieves 205.48 mph,
(Oulu, Finland. 15 February 2011) Finland's four-time world rally champion Juha Kankkunen drove a Bentley Continental
Supersports convertible on the hazardous frozen waters of the Baltic Sea, off the coast of Finland, at a breathtaking 205.48 mph (330.695 km/h) to set a new world speed record on ice. Kankkunen was in irresistible
form with his all-wheel drive, 6-litre, 12-cylinder Continental Supersports convertible which, in line with the Company's CO2 strategy, ran on biofuel. The world's fastest soft top enabled Juha to shatter his own
2007 world ice speed record of 199.83 mph (321.6 km/h) set in the Continental GT at the same location. FULL STORY
BOND GIVES BENTLEY CARTE BLANCHE
February 2011 - Bond is back, and as ever he is sporting the best in luxury cars. In the pages of Carte Blanche, the new James Bond
book by international best-selling author Jeffery Deaver, the fictional British spy has continued with his classic preference of luxury sports car by selecting the breathtaking new Bentley Continental GT as his
transport of choice.
Carte Blanche is due to be published by Hodder and Stoughton in the UK on May 26, a few days before the anniversary of Fleming's birthday. It has been commissioned by Ian Fleming Publications
Ltd.
The book is partly set in Dubai, which is where the author and the new Bond car have been spotted, outside the InterContinental Hotel in Dubai Festival City. Bond's new Continental GT certainly suits
his character, with a fabled 6.0-litre, W12, twin-turbo engine capable of producing 567 bhp and 516 lb-ft of torque.
While James Bond's new car may be better suited for a secret agent in understated tones, the author of the book admired a less inconspicuous model. Set in stunning white with a blood-red interior, the
new Continental GT mixes svelte good looks with power, poise and exceptional prowess. The hand-stitched leather interior contains all the high-tech gadgetry Bond could ever need. And with the famed sound dampening
that only lets through the captivating sound of the wonderful engine, the cabin provides a true Quantum of Solace for Fleming's jet-setting gentleman spy.
Jeffery Deaver sampled the stunning vehicle on his recent visit to the Emirates, where he commented, "I'm really excited about being back in Dubai. It is an inspirational and awe-inspiring city and
makes a perfect Bond location—especially for a novel that pushes our hero to new extremes."
Regarding the book's title, which was revealed in January, Deaver added: "In the world of espionage, giving an agent carte blanche on a mission comes with an enormous amount of trust and constantly
tests both personal and professional judgement. Part of the nonstop suspense in the novel is the looming question of what is acceptable in matters of national and international security. Are there lines that even
James Bond should not cross?"
The James Bond of Ian Fleming's original novels also opted for a Bentley. The world's most famous spy would choose nothing less than the scintillating performance and second-to-none quality of the
classic luxury car.
Jeffery Deaver has written 28 novels and sold more than 20m books worldwide. He is best known for his Kathryn Dance and Lincoln Rhyme books, most notably The Bone Collector, which was adapted for film
in 1999, starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. Before becoming a full-time author, Deaver was a journalist, like Fleming, and attorney. He started writing suspense novels on the long commute to and from his
office on Wall Street. His books are now translated into 25 languages and he lives in North Carolina.
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