2019 was Bentley's 100th anniversary and the UK automaker ended the year with a sales increase. The company sold 11,006 cars in 2019, marking a five percent increase over 2018 as greater availability for models like the Bentley Continental GT W12 and Bentley Bentayga V8 attracted new customers in foreign markets. This is the seventh consecutive year Bentley has sold over 10,000 vehicles, spurred by growth in the company's biggest markets.

The Americas was Bentley's largest market yet again with 2,913 units sold while Europe and the UK also posted gains. "It's remarkable that this achievement was largely without any sales of the Flying Spur which historically has contributed 20 percent of our annual sales," said Adrian Hallmark, Chairman, and CEO of Bentley Motors. The Flying Spur recently entered production but did not go on sale in 2019. China was one of Bentley's only markets to post a decline in 2019, which can likely be attributed to the unavailable Flying Spur with its large back seat.

Deliveries of the Flying Spur are set to commence in the early part of 2020, which should help Bentley keep up its sales momentum at the start of the new decade. The Continental GT was still the marque's best-selling model in 2019 with a sales increase of 54 percent while the Bentayga SUV also saw an increase of 18 percent. Demand for the Continental GT increased with the introduction of a V8 engine and the Bentayga benefited from additions such as the Speed, Design Series, and Hybrid.

"2019 was an extraordinary year for Bentley for many reasons," said Hallmark. "Our sales performance reached over 11,000 customer deliveries for the fourth time in our 100 year history, plus it represents the seventh consecutive year above 10,000 retail sales. This result was driven by strong demand in all regions, the successful launch of the Continental GT Convertible, plus the launch of five major derivatives and limited edition models during the year. This result secures Bentley's return to profitability, demonstrates the successful implementation of our turnaround, and sends a clear signal for the potential of Bentley for 2020 and into our next century."