Bentley sales up almost 20% in '07

Well of course Bentley is outselling Rolls-Royce and Maybach. You can buy a Bentley for half of the price of any Rolls-Royce.

Let me try to remember from the last time I was at the Bentley dealership- the Continentals were about $168,000. The Rolls-Royce Phantom will run around $357,000- about 2 and one eighth as much.

I am sure that the reason for Bentley's success is their move downmarket wich personally I do not like. Of course, they were wise in that the Continental series is still sufficiently expensive as to be out of the buying range of many. So, the move downmarket in a way has not been accompanied by the associated slide in brand cachet. Bentley will always be the Arnage to me and the Continental series is sort of there but to be ignored.

It's not just Bentley's price advantage. I like the look of the Arnage RL and believe that RR styling has gone downhill since the fifties when they had more character with the taller grille. I can't believe the tasteless teak deck on the new Phantom convertible.

OR
Bentley is a much beter value car than any overpriced RR or Maybach. The rich are buying these cars so the "moving downmarket" is inappropriate to even say. They prefer Bentleys, clearly because they are buying them more. So call it what you want but it is not a bad move by Bentley and they are way ahead of the competition.

No Bentley did move downmarket. The proof is in the fact that many Continentals are financed. The Arnage, Phantom and Maybach are NEVER financed- and those are the less expensive ones the coupes / convertibles are even moie. Well, I shouldn't say never, but whatever pecentage is financed I am sure is statistically insignificant.

Furthermore, 85% of Continetal buyers have neve owed a Bentley before. These buyers are not comming from up market for the most part. They are comming from downmarket.

The point is that in terms of the real ultra-luxury vehicles (Arnage and up) you basically exclusively have those whom are affluent. In the case of the Continentals I am sure you have a mixture of those who are affluent and those who are not- and that is supported by the financing data.

Independent of preferental financing terms that does not change the fact that there is an immense discrepancy between Continental buyers and Rolls Royce (I am just using it as an example) buyers. The average Rolls Royce buyer has at least $30 Million in liquid assets- i.e. in the bank.

lets not forget the rappers buying and blinging out their cars. the more rappers debut, the more bentleys tht are bought.

"So call it what you want but it is not a bad move by Bentley and they are way ahead of the competition."

Incidentally, I never said it was a bad move for Bentley. They managed to move themselves into a place that very few vehicles occupy. Be that as it may, the Continental will never be a true Bentley to me- 55% of it parts come from Germany. The only thing German in the Arnage that I can think of off the top of my head is the ZF transimission.

And how many RR parts are from Germany?

...and it´s still a RR.

Too damn many.

The point of that by the way is that that 55% from Germany is coming from another car company within VW groups parts bin. That is the issue- not that the parts are from Germany.