2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur on 2040-cars

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Volkswagen posts quarterly profit despite drop in sales

Volkswagen returned to profit in the third quarter as surging Chinese demand for luxury cars helped offset a 1.1% drop in vehicle deliveries due to the pandemic, sending its shares as much as 3% higher on Thursday. The German automaker's return to the black comes amid spiking coronavirus cases in Europe that led governments in France and Germany to order their countries back into strict national lockdowns on Wednesday. "The coronavirus remains a central problem," Volkswagen Chief Financial Officer Frank Witter said in a conference call with reporters. "This situation now is anything but relaxed." But Witter said the group expected the economic recovery to continue and did "not anticipate any nationwide lockdowns in larger markets." Witter said the takeover of U.S. truck maker Navistar International by Volkswagen's trucking unit Traton was an important acquisition, but the "current economic climate will not make this easy." Volkswagen reiterated it expects to post a profit for the full year, saying its business "recovered noticeably" in the third quarter as sales in China of premium vehicles, including Audi and Porsche sports cars, rose 3%. The quarterly performance was also aided by a series of cost-cutting measures launched earlier this year. Volkswagen said its net liquidity rose to 24.8 billion euros from 18.7 billion at the end of the second quarter. Excluding one-time items, third-quarter operating profit was 3.2 billion euros ($3.8 billion), down from 4.8 billion euros a year earlier, but up from a second quarter loss of 1.7 billion. In a note to clients, Jefferies analyst Philippe Houchois described the results as a "solid performance with strong cash, but relatively muted in the context of the (auto) sector recovery." Last week, German rival Daimler reported a record 24% jump in Chinese demand for its Mercedes-Benz cars, boosting its margins in the third quarter. Italian-American Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Peugeot manufacturer PSA Group both also posted solid results this week. Witter said Volkswagen could not say for sure whether it would meet EU CO2 emissions targets this year, adding "it will be a tough race." At 1030 GMT, Volkswagen shares were up 2.9% at 129.20 euros. Related Video: Earnings/Financials Audi Bentley Bugatti Lamborghini Porsche Volkswagen

Bentley says Conti Supersports 'isn't on the horizon'

For the longest time, Bentley made a name for itself making ever-faster versions of its core Continental range. These days, however, the British automaker has other things on which to focus. And that means there's little time to spend on developing a new high-performance Conti. After refreshing the Continental GT, GTC, and Flying Spur in 2011, Bentley came out with a new Continental GT Speed in 2012, boasting 616 horsepower. Last year it updated the range again, bumping the GT Speed up to 626 hp and releasing the GT3-R as a road-going version of the racing model, with a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 pumping out 572 hp. (A further refresh was rolled out just months ago, but was more cosmetic in orientation.) It even slotted the Speed's engine into the Flying Spur, and did a Speed version of the Mulsanne as well. What it hasn't done, however, is develop a successor to the previous Supersports model. "...A future Supersports model isn't on the horizon at the moment." – Mike Sayer, Bentley The Supersports was the performance flagship of the previous Continental range, boasting 621 horsepower, a 0-62 time of 3.7 seconds, and a top speed in excess of 204 miles per hour. But the current GT Speed is even faster, quoted at 206 mph. And with 626 hp, it's marginally more powerful too. The question, then, is whether an even more potent Supersports is in the works. And the answer is: not just yet. "While we're always looking at ways of extending our unique combination of luxury and performance even further, we're currently focused on delivering the all-new Bentley Bentayga SUV," spokesman Mike Sayer revealed in correspondence with Autoblog. "The Continental family has just received a suite of styling and usability upgrades for 16MY, and a future Supersports model isn't on the horizon at the moment." So while a new Continental Supersports could arrive at some point down the line, it's apparently not a priority right now. And what about the prospect of an even more hardcore version of the Continental GT3-R? Rumors have been circulating of an even lighter version in the works, unburdened by the bulk of the Conti's all-wheel drive system – but we're told that's not in the cards at the moment, either. "The Continental GT3-R has been very well-received around the world. Some regions (including the UK) have sold-out their allocation. A very limited number of cars remain in a small number of overseas markets," says Sayer.

New Bentley Continental GT3 race car looks beautiful and brutal

Bentley has been building and racing GT3-class versions of the Continental GT since about 2013. As such, it's really no surprise that Bentley would create one based on the newest Continental GT, as seen above. Still, we're glad to see it, especially because it looks really mean, and better than the outgoing racer. Part of the design improvements are due simply to the new road car's looks. The lower, wider grille, and tidier, less bulbous tail do a lot to make the race car look much lower and more aggressive than the old car. But the racing-specific bodywork is cleaner and more aggressive, too. Large overfenders are fitted both front and rear, and they each have integrated intake vents at the leading and trailing edges. The openings at the front of the front fenders are curved such that they look a bit like angry eyebrows. The rear diffuser looks better integrated with the body now, rather than simply lurking behind a cut-down rear bumper. The big wing with outboard supports is also impressive. Performance-wise, there likely won't be a major difference between this and the outgoing car. It seems power is down a bit to over 550 horsepower rather than over 600 horsepower. Curb weight is estimated to be under 1,300 kg, which is about 2,866 pounds. That's also similar to the old car. Power also continues to come from a twin-turbocharged V8 sending power to the rear wheels. This is a sharp contrast to the road car's twin-turbocharged W12 sending power to all four wheels. For any enterprising racers looking to trade to a new car or get into a GT3, Bentley will begin selling the new Continental GT3 next June. Pricing has not been announced. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Bentley Continental GT3 race car Image Credit: Bentley Motorsports Bentley Coupe Racing Vehicles bentley continental gt3