Bentley appoints Abbey Thomas as first India head

Skoda Auto Volkswagen India has appointed Abbey Thomas as the first India head of Bentley. While the British brand falls under the global VW Group umbrella and officially sells cars in India, given its relatively small volumes, it has thus far not been a formal part of SAVWIPL, which include Skoda, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and Lamborghini. These brands have an India office, along with dedicated sales, marketing and communication teams.

Bentley has thus far only operated via dealer principals who report to the regional office outside of India, and this is a similar to other standalone brands like Ferrari and Aston Martin. However, with this move Bentley will join the SAVWIPL group of brands. In addition to the appointment of Thomas, the brand will likely get its own India team. This development was exclusvely reported by our sister publication Autocar Professional.

1. Appointment of Abbey Thomas shows Bentley’s India focus
2. Exclusive Motors is Bentley’s official importer for India
3. New Bentley showroom expected to open in South India soon

Bentley to increase its focus on India

The move of appointing a country lead comes in the context of strong momentum in India's super luxury car market. Much like Lamborghini, which has outpaced the market thanks to its local representative, the Volkswagen Group hopes that Bentley India’s transition to a local office model will bring more focus to its India operation, allowing it to capitalise on the growing demand from ultra-high-net-worth individuals.

Also, a local representative will also help Bentley better understand the market needs of super-rich buyers. As per reports, the move is aimed at restructuring operations, improving service and parts availability, and expanding Bentley’s footprint with a new dealer in South India.

Thomas was earlier the head of marketing at the Volkswagen Passenger Car brand within the group. He will report to Jan Bures, executive director of sales, marketing, and digital at Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Ltd. Thomas will take charge from January, say people in the know.

However, an email sent to Skoda Auto Volkswagen India did not elicit any official response.

Bentley India models and footprint

Bentley Motors' official importer in India is Exclusive Motors, with facilities in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. Bentley is understood to have sold over 70-80 cars in the last calendar year, most of which are the Bentayga SUV.

At the moment, Bentley just has the Bentayga on sale in India, but is going to bring the new Flying Spur and Continental GT to our market next year. Naturally, every Bentley brought to India is imported as a completely built unit. 

Bentley had recently created five bespoke Mulliner models for the Indian market; it's the first time this has occured since the British brand started selling its vehicles in the country.

According to consulting firm Knight Frank, India has the fastest-growing market of ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNI). UHNIs grew 6 percent in 2023 to 13,263 in the last calendar year. This number is likely to breach 20,000 by 2028. Ultra-high Net Worth Individuals (UHNWIs) have a net worth of USD 30 million (about Rs 250 crore) and above.