British luxury carmaker Bentley has unveiled its grand tourer Mulsanne in India with a price tag of Rs 2.9 crore, with deliveries to commence from October 2010.
Powered by a 6.8-litre twin turbo V8 engine, the Mulsanne has a maximum power output of 512bhp while producing 104kgm of max torque. The custom-made super luxury car takes about 600 man-hours to assemble.
Talking about the growth of the super luxury segment, Chris Buxton, regional director said, “In 2008-09, the segment saw a downturn but we expect it to show growth this year. On an average we sell about 25-50 cars depending on the economic climate but we see volumes increasing in India.”
"We have launched this car in the Indian market for Bentley car connoisseurs. India has a very strong and vibrant economy. We are very hopeful about the future prospects of our business here," he added.
Apart from Mulsanne, Bentley also plans to introduce the GTC Supersport Convertible - launched at the Geneva Auto Expo - within 6-7 months. Buxton said they are yet to decide on the pricing of the Supersport Convertible, but it is expected to be above Rs 1 crore.
For the global market, Bentley will produce 600 units of Mulsanne annually, but the quota for India is yet to be decided. The company has said that it has received global bookings for the year 2011 as well.
Dipan Sur
Viraaj Bhatnagar
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