Bentley has launched the fastest SUV Bentayga in India which is priced at ₹3.85 crore. Bentley is positive on the sales in India’s super luxury car segment.

Speaking to Bloomberg TV India , Bentley India Managing Director Satya Prakash Bagla says the super luxury car market is the only one growing at double digit in the industry. Bentley India sales will probably grow at 15 per cent every year, he said.

What does it Bentayga signify for Bentley? What does really it signify for India?

For the first time, Bentley is making an SUV which is very much awaited by consumers. They have convertible, they have two-door sports and luxury limousine. They wanted the same experience of Bentley’s handcraftedness, the fit and finish, the quality that they are used to in the other Bentley cars. There was a lot of demand going on for such a SUV and finally it is here. And as you can see, it has all the attributes of the Bentley. The power (we are always the most powerful car) in its class, the handcraftedness, the leather work, the woodwork, the finish which is the chrome work in the car which is just like any other of our other cars.

How does the market look like for India considering this is a super luxury car and the world’s fastest SUV as you claim? What are the sales numbers you are targeting this fiscal and the next?

The market is fantastic right now. I don’t see any change. We are growing every year at about 15 per cent a year. This year is going to be another record year for us. And the only challenge is to get allocation for the cars, which is the biggest issue. They are handcrafted, so they are limited to production. There are 200 dealers in the whole world in 55 countries. So, everybody has to get a fair share of the cars and that’s where our main challenge lies.

Considering the new Bentagya launch, do you have any plans to expand the dealership network? Any further expansion of the touch points that we can expect over the year?

This year, we will be opening an outlet in Hyderabad in the next two to three months. It is already under construction. And that’s what we have planned for this year. We have some other plans for next year and add more touch points. But, again, it is also guided by the number of cars which are available to us.

So what is the production target? How many cars will be produced in India? How many cars will be imported in India? What will be the availability of the time considering that it is a super luxury car and such cars definitely take 5-6 months time to manufacture and reach the customers? What is the production time that we can expect?

The cars are only made in Crewe (UK) and it comes in as a CBU. It is again as I said how much allocation can be fairly divide between the 200 dealers. So, it all depends on the allocation to India.

You opened the bookings for the car earlier. So how has the bookings been? What are the numbers looking like?

It is extremely strong. They have got interest in three digits already because these are from the existing Bentley owners. They are very loyal to the brand. They always go for every different model we make.

Considering the super luxury car segment has been marred by the Supreme Court order on 2000cc vehicles, what is your take? Do you think the sales might get affected in New Delhi and the surrounding areas?

Well, at Bentley, we don’t make any diesel engines. So, as a business and a brand, we don’t have any issues with it. It is a good thing what the Supreme Court is doing.

Related Topics