Los Angeles, CA – Bentley brought its new stylish and powerful Azure T on its stand at the Los Angeles Auto Show in order to introduce it to buyers in the very important US market.
While company officials acknowledge the perilous financial conditions in the world they are confident that the elegant convertible will help it maintain its growth and become a future classic.
“If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, if you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too,” said Stuart McCullough, Member of the Board, Sales and Marketing quoting a poem from Rudyard Kipling as a preface to his explanation of how he intends to sail the stormy financial seas.
McCullough who came over to Bentley after successfully relaunching Toyota’s luxury brand, Lexus, in Europe is confident that Bentley has the right product mix to weather the economic shifts ahead. Like many executives we’ve spoken to recently he sees 2009 as shaping up to be a tough year for the auto industry but the companies that are able to keep their development of new products on track will be poised to take advantage of the expected turn around when it comes.
That said, there are still buyers who will be relatively unscathed by the current crisis and these choosy shoppers are the potential market Bentley is targeting with its new Azure T.
The new Bentleys are probably not going to be the only cars in an owner’s garage but part of a stable. The Azure T is the kind of car for those who want a special vehicle with elegant styling cues and a sporting stance that delivers fun to drive performance while ably transporting four adults in first-class, open-top luxury.
The Azure’s 500bhp comes from with its high performance version of Crewe’s iconic 6¾ litre V8 engine that gives drivers all the torque and acceleration they need to reach a top speed of 179 mph (288 km/h). It’s off the line acceleration is an impressive 0-60 mph in 5.2 seconds (0-100 km/h in 5.5 seconds). And you can push the speedometer to 100 mph in12.0 seconds).
It’s the latest in a line of Bentley models to bear the ‘T’ designation. The 1996 Continental coupe was the first modern Bentley ‘T’, followed in 2002 by the Arnage T, both models came with a distinctive sporting character and enhanced performance.
The create the “T” the Azure’s design was given a lift by 20-inch 5-spoke wheels and tires, ‘Le Mans’ front wing vents, dark tint matrix grille and a sculpted, retractable Flying ‘B’ mascot.
“The new Azure T reflects our passion for creating the world’s most exhilarating and prestigious convertibles that, true to the Bentley T tradition, blend sophistication with a powerful presence,” said McCullough.
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