Audi could soon take control of Bentley: Report
Bentley had been going through quite a revival in the luxury car market, following a turnaround plan and record-breaking sales that resulted in a €65-million profit.
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the global automotive industry hard, and it is clearly reflected in the way the Volkswagen Group has been having a kind of a reshuffling of it’s various subsidiaries and brands. The latest news from that stable is that Audi could well be taking control of Bentley as early as next year, according to Automobilwoche.
After taking over the role of leading VW group’s R&D efforts, sources say that the brand may also be taking over Bentley’s technological and financial activities from 2021.
Bentley has been going through quite a revival in the luxury car market, following a turnaround plan and record-breaking sales that resulted in a €65-million profit. This was before the pandemic, however, and Brexit does not help enlighten Bentley’s future either with the British automaker’s CEO Adrian Hallmark warning that a no-deal Brexit could indeed cut profits by a quarter.
As Automobilwoche reports, the next-generation Continental GT and its Flying Spur could be based on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) currently being co-developed by Audi and Porsche. Interestingly, future Bentley models are said to have “less bling” in an effort to promote “sustainable luxury” while making sure they’re visually different enough from the mechanically related Audis, which might be quite a gamble considering how the new Bentley’s image has been heavily influenced by extravagant interiors that bring a sense of occasion as compared to the competition.
