Bentley CEO still sees ‘uncertainty’ in the luxury market but is bullish on his new ‘performance’ model-awdailynews

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2025-11-18

Bentley CEO still sees ‘uncertainty’ in the luxury market but is bullish on his new ‘performance’ model

Last Thursday, luxury British automaker Bentley unveiled its latest creation, the Supersports, a high-performance, lightweight, two-passenger version of its Continental GT coupe. The event in New York City’s Chelsea district drew youthful and urban fans — not the usual clientele Bentley typically attracts.

But times are changing — and so are Bentley’s buyers.

The stripped-down, carbon-fiber-shod sports car is powered by a twin-turbo V8, comes in rear-wheel drive only, and isn’t a hybrid, like most of the other models in the Bentley lineup. The company has not yet provided pricing for the Supersports, but assume an MSRP north of at least $350,000, which is the starting price of the highest-trim Continental GT.

Bentley will start taking orders for the Supersports in March 2026, with initial deliveries set to begin in 2027.

Bentley said the new Supersports is the most driver-focused Continental GT ever, with rear-wheel drive and a two-seat cabin. · Bentley

Bentley CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser cut his teeth at Porsche before shifting gears to Bentley, and it’s no surprise he championed the new car, which he sees appealing to younger, affluent buyers.

“We see ourselves as being a driver’s brand, making extraordinary cars, and there’s a lot of sportiness in the Bentley history and in the Bentley brand itself,” he told Yahoo Finance.

Walliser said the Supersports was shown at Monterey to its longtime clientele, who are traditionally more conservative. But they liked what they saw, he added. All 500 units of the Supersports will likely be sold out when production begins in a couple years. It’s a product that also appeals to a wide variety of buyers, which Walliser calls a “step change” for the brand.

“Our customer group is 1763476802 very diverse. In reality, we have a lot of young customers. We have a lot of female customers,” he said, and this is not by accident.

But while the push for more diverse clients is a welcome change for the staid brand, its bread-and-butter luxury clientele — who generally own several cars in their personal fleets — are still a little hesitant, given an uncertain economy. That “uncertainty” has ruled the day for months now and continues to do so.

“It did not really change [from this summer],” Walliser said. “It’s still uncertainty in the markets, specifically in the US. But if the US is uncertain, Europe is definitely uncertain. China is still slow.”

Walliser added, however, “But even more important is to offer the right product, and the product like Supersports.”

Bentley has revamped its product lineup over the past two years, hybridizing the entire range of Bentayga SUVs, Continental coupes, and Flying Spur sedans. The Bentayga Speed also comes in a hybrid free powertrain, and the combination of these products is helping to keep sales chugging along.