Bentley Motors expects the UK-India trade agreement to support its long-term growth in India, with the luxury carmaker projecting that sales could potentially triple over the next three to five years. In this conversation with Autocar Professional, Axel Dewitz, Board Member for Finance and IT, Bentley Motors, explains how the agreement's reduction in duties and taxes could make Bentley models more accessible to prospective buyers.
Dewitz says the reduction of 80 percentage points in combined duties and taxes is expected to outweigh the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations. While Bentley intends to retain its position in the niche luxury car market, the company expects lower import duties to bring its vehicles onto the consideration lists of more customers in India.
The conversation also explores Bentley's multi-powertrain strategy, including internal combustion engine cars, plug-in hybrids and fully electric models. Dewitz discusses why he believes the trade agreement should offer greater benefits for electric cars, and clarifies that Bentley's manufacturing will remain in Crewe, UK, rather than shifting to India.