All posts by Francis Mitterrand

Bentley sales results in 2023

The year 2023 was successful for a large number of car manufacturers, such as Lamborghini, which delivered 10,112 cars worldwide in the past 12 months, which is the best result in the history of this Italian manufacturer. However, some were not so successful, and one of them is Bentley, which recorded a drop in sales in 2023.

After 2022, when it recorded the best sales result, the following year did not bring growth but a drop in sales by 11 percent. There could be many reasons for this, and Bentley says that high-end consumers have felt the rising costs and economic slowdown. Drop in sales in Bentley’s biggest markets (America -9% / 3,848 units, China -18% / 3,006 units and Europe -15% / 2,376 units), had the biggest impact on the overall negative result.

“The luxury market was not immune to the challenging market conditions seen around the world in the second half of 2023. We remain cautiously optimistic for the coming year, with continued strong market-specific and model-specific global demand,” said head of Bentley Adrian Hallmark.

However, Bentley found something positive in all this. According to their data, demand for personalization, such as adding leather and wood finishes, increased by 43%. Perhaps this is a good sign for the British manufacturer as other supercar manufacturers have recorded positive results where the main players have been luxury models. However, some manufacturers of luxury products (such as Burberry) warned of a slowdown in demand for high-end goods.

Source: Bentley

2024 Porsche Macan EV

The new Porsche Macan EV will make its debut in a few days (January 25). Until now, there has not been much information about this model, but after the release of interior photos in late 2023, now the German manufacturer has released sketches that reveal the design of the upcoming car.

Porsche Macan EV will be powered by two electric motors with a total power of more than 603 hp (450 kW) and 737 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) of torque. It will be equipped with a 100 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and will have AWD. Thanks to the fast charger, the battery will be charged to 80 percent in just 22 minutes. When it comes to power distribution, it is known that 48 percent of the power will go to the front and 52 percent to the rear axle. Porsche will also offer a less powerful version with a single electric motor located in the rear and will have RWD.

The year when Porsche will stop producing cars with ICE is approaching, so the company is making big preparations for the production of electric cars at its main factory in Zuffenhausen. Porsche will invest around 250 million euros in this factory, which includes upgrading the production systems and integrating the powertrain for the new Macana EV. After the power unit for this car is assembled, it will be transferred to the Porsche factory in Leipzig, where the cars will also be manufactured.

Also, the logistics areas within the body shop will be expanded, with the construction of a new building on the site of the former Porsche center. Construction should be completed by 2025, and this building will supply the workshop with body parts for the Taycan, 911 and Cayman.

Source: Porsche

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One of 50 BMW 3.0 CSL is for sale

Celebrating its 50th birthday, in 2022 BMW presented the most powerful model from the BMW M division, the BMW 3.0 CSL. It is a limited edition that will be produced in only 50 examples and one 3.0 CSL is for sale.

The car is equipped with yellow LED laser lights, body made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP), rear wing and the lettering on the roof, forged lightweight crankshaft, 3D printed cylinder head core, specially designed oil supply and cooling system, adaptive dampers, variable-ratio electric power steering and carbon-ceramic brakes. It is mounted on 20″ and 21″ center-locking wheels wrapped in specially developed Michelin tires.

The BMW 3.0 CSL has an extended body in the distinctive colors of the M division and with several details reminiscent of the original racing 3.0 CSL (Competition Sport Lightweight). It is powered by a 3.0 L inline-six engine with 560 hp (412 kW) and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) of torque. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a 6-speed manual transmission.

When it comes to the price, BMW did not say how much this car will cost at the launch, but some information said that it could be €750,000. However, the German company Luxury Cars Hamburg offers for sale a 3.0 CSL that has only 25 kilometers on the odometer and the asking price is 1.249 million euros. Too much? Maybe.

Source: Luxury Cars Hamburg

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