Bentley, the maker of the $300,000 Mulsanne ultra-luxury sedan, added its third dealership in Moscow in anticipation that wealthier Russians will shrug off an impending recession and buy its planned Bentayga sport utility vehicle.
The new Bentley outlet in southeast Moscow, adjacent to showrooms selling Rolls-Royce and BMW vehicles, is a partnership with local operator Avilon, the Crewe, England-based unit of Volkswagen AG said Tuesday in a statement.
The nameplate’s fifth dealership in Russia represents “another key step in our growth plans” in the country, Bentley sales chief Kevin Rose said in the statement.
Russian car sales dropped 42 per cent in April, propelling a 38 per cent contraction in the first four months of 2015. The country’s economy is succumbing to its first recession since 2009 amid weak oil prices and U.S. and European Union trade sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine. Consumer demand has been undercut by a plunge last year in the ruble and inflation near the highest rate in 13 years.
Here is your first look at Bentley’s upcoming SUV.
Handout, Bentley
To adapt to the decline, VW’s mass-market namesake brand has reduced production and offered buyouts to workers at its Russian factory in Kaluga. General Motors will idle a plant in St. Petersburg and halt sales of its Opel brand and most Chevrolet models, all but abandoning the market.
At the same time, some high-end brands have fared better in the country. April deliveries by VW’s Porsche division rose 12 per cent, and Lexus gained 5 per cent. Bentley is set to unveil the Bentayga later this year.
