Bentley To Expand Continental, Mulsanne Lineups

No one would doubt Bentley's success with the Continental lineup. Starting with the original GT, it has spawned GTC and Flying Spur sedan variants. Toward the end of the previous generation Continental's model run, there was a few special edition models.

When you have a successful model, you milk it for all it is worth. With the current generation, Bentley looks to continue that proliferation. For inspiration, it is looking to Porsche and the 911 lineup. The 911 has spawned so many different special edition models it is hard to keep track.

According to Autocar, the plan to increase Continental models is being brought about by Bentley Chief Executive Officer Wolfgang Durheimer. IT makes sense given his experience working at Porsche.

“We can make more of the Continental line up than we have today....I could see it developing as the 911 derivatives did; lightweight models, special models, that was a very successful strategy" says Durhemier. Indeed. There is no mention of just how many we'll see or when they will appear.

The Continental isn't the only car Bentley has bigger plans for though. Also in works is a long-wheelbase edition of the Mulsanne. Unlike the Arnage, the Mulsanne competes directly with the Phantom at Rolls-Royce, and Rolls has introduced a LWB Phantom. Durheimer says the car would appeal to customers in the United States and China.

“With the Mulsanne we get requests all the time for a longer wheelbase model, for instance. The question is whether we do it as a special order or put it on the model line. We are evaluating it.” he says. Even more importantly than a LWB, the Mulsanne will likely also spawn convertible and coupe variants. These new models should help keep interest in Bentley strong, while increasing sales and profitability at the same time.