Regional Director Julian Jenkins has high hopes for Bentley ‘s latest models like the new Azure (above)

By Sheldon Trollope

ON DECEMBER 14TH, local Bentley customers and the media were invited to a private preview of the Azure, the British luxury carmaker’s flagship convertible.

The car on display was a prototype, with the final car only due for production in the middle of next year. Based on the Arnage, it will be powered by a turbocharged 6.75-litre V8 unit and seat four adults comfortably within its 5.4 metre long body, with an expected price tag of around $1.3 million. That might seem stratospheric to most, but it’s a few hundred thousand dollars lower than it might otherwise have been. During the preview it emerged that in November, Bentley took over the import of its cars from long-time distributor Malayan
Motors, which is now the sole dealer.

The cars will be imported with lower Open Market Values (basically the price of the car direct from the factory), and prices have fallen as a result. The Continental GT and Flying Spur are now both priced at $690,000 without COE, for example, down from $745,000.

The more expensive Arnage models get roughly a 10 percent price reduction, and could sell for under $1 million, though final prices vary
widely according to customisation.

Bentley’s move to form a national sales company here reflects “the infrastructure required to support the exponential growth in volumes through the recent launch of the new Continental model range,” according to Julian
Jenkins, the brand’s regional director.
“From a customer’s perspective there will be little visible change, nor would we wish there to be,” he says. “Malayan Motors remains the sole Bentley representative for the Singapore market and point of contact for our customers.”

“The plans for the long-term commitment to the Singapore market have resulted in Bentley providing competitive retail prices for our cars. We expect a steady increase in Bentley sales in Singapore,” he continues.

Bentley foresees 2006 sales of up to 40 units here. That’s roughly double the volume achieved this year, but Mr Jenkins feels the number is still small enough to guarantee exclusivity. As for the new Azure, deliveries should commence in late 2006 or early 2007. At press time, Mr Jenkins said that there were no orders taken during the preview, although Malayan is in “active discussion” with potential
customers. Some haste is in order, it seems. “As the flagship model for Bentley, production will be extremely limited,” he says. “And given the overwhelming response following the car’s debut, around the world production slots are already being rapidly allocated.” In other
words, get it while you can, boys.