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Bentley orders are up by 50% thanks to Chinese buyers

LONDON — Bentley began the year with 50% more orders than the start of last year and built more luxury cars in January than the same time in 2020 as China boosted demand despite challenges from the pandemic, its boss told Reuters on Wednesday. The Volkswagen-owned brand said it had not faced major disruption from Britain's exit from the European Union nor from a shortage of semi-conductor chips, which has forced some automakers to halt or reduce production. Based in Crewe, northern England, the over century-old marque made a small profit in 2020, when its factory was forced to close as Britain entered its first national lockdown, and hopes to build on that this year. "The order bank at the beginning of this year was 50% higher than it was at the beginning of last year," Chief Executive Adrian Hallmark said in an interview. "China, by far, is the most outstanding performance in the world in respect of level of orders compared with normal expectations." The firm sold 11,206 cars in 2020. Related Video:

Bentley Bentayga to add gasoline V8 before plug-in hybrid powertrains bows

The Bentley Bentayga offers exactly one powertrain in the US: a 6.0 liter W12 with 600 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. Overseas buyers get the additional option of a 4.0 liter diesel V8 with 429 hp and 664 lb-ft - the same oil burner from the Audi SQ7, denied us after Volkswagen Group pulled diesels from the US market. Auto Motor und Sport reports that Bentley will add two more powertrains to the mix over the next year, but it's unclear whether any of them will come here: a 4.0-liter gasoline V8, and a plug-in hybrid. The German publication expects the Porsche-developed 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V8 to get the nod for Bentley use. That engine serves in the Porsche Cayenne Turbo (550 hp/567 lb-ft) and Lamborghini Urus (650 hp/627 lb-ft), which both share their MLB platform with the Bentayga. Making sure not to step on the toes of the W12, the 4.0-liter petrol V8 will get something like the Cayenne Turbo's 550 hp. We've seen spy shots of the Bentayga PHEV testing at the Nurburgring, but we weren't sure what the SUV used for motivation. Porsche again donates equipment for the plug-in hybrid Bentayga, the forthcoming powertrain swiped from the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid. In the Porsche, total output comes to 462 hp and 516 lb-ft. Spy shooters captured a photo of an "EV Mode" button inside the Bentayga, so we know it will do silent running; the 14.1 kWh battery in the Panamera E-Hybrid provides 31 miles of electric-only range. Both powertrains will provide a lower price point for the Bentayga compared to the W12, a stat line that should increase the big Bentley's appeal even though sales already qualify as gangbusters, considering the vehicle. According to AMS, the 4.0-liter gas V8 Bentayga should show up sometime around summer 2018, the PHEV to follow. Related Video:

Bentley Continental GT Convertible is here, and it's a stunner

Bentley gave us a completely revamped Continental GT a short time ago, and now we get its airy twin, the Continental GT Convertible. Making its debut right before the L.A. Auto Show begins, the topless Bentley incorporates everything new and good about the redesigned Conti. It'll come with the 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 engine making 626 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque, just like the coupe. Acceleration to 60 occurs in a luxuriously quick 3.7 seconds before topping out at 207 mph. It's a convertible, but it sure won't be slowing you down any because of it. Styling for the drop top is elegant but doesn't distance itself much from the coupe beyond the obvious lack of a roof. That's totally fine, because the new Continental GT is stunning either way. Bentley has an option for old-school tweed lovers out there too: a roof made of the stuff. Details on how such a roof is possible haven't yet been spelled out, but we're guessing it isn't made of your traditional (not waterproof) tweed. Whether you choose tweed or some other more normal material for your roof, Bentley says it has better sound proofing to offer a three-decibel reduction of noise compared to its predecessor. It'll open in 19 seconds at speeds up to 30 mph. Like the coupe, the convertible drops a bunch of weight — it's now 20-percent lighter than before and 5-percent stiffer. Technology within the Convertible has advanced a few steps compared to the previous generation. The Convertible offers a rotating display in the center stack, so a driver can choose whether they'd like to see the 12.3-inch touchscreen or uninterrupted wood paneling. Bentley spared no expense on the real wood paneling either. Each car uses over 107 square-feet of the nicest lumber Bentley can get its hands on. A new neckwarmer is apparently warmer and quieter than before, and now it also has heated armrests. A couple different technology packages will be offered at launch. One is called "City," and adds hands-free trunk operation, traffic-sign recognition, city braking systems and a top-view camera. The other is called "Touring" and it tacks on adaptive cruise control, active lane assist, a head-up display, infrared night vision camera and pre-sense braking. Frankly, it feels like many of these options should be standard like they are on a $30,000 Honda Accord. All the other pertinent equipment is virtually identical with the 2019 Continental GT we already drove.