In a world where wealth disparity continues to widen, you’d think luxury brands would be printing money hand over fist. But even the ultra-rich are feeling the pinch of the current economic climate, and their “emotional sensitivity” is taking a toll on staunch British marque Bentley.
Yes, you read that right. According to Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark, the well-heeled customers that the brand caters to are now showing restraint, opting not to purchase a new luxury vehicle out of a desire to avoid flaunting their fortune in these troubled times of soaring costs of living.
Not Buying a Bentley Not To Look Bad?
It’s almost poetic, isn’t it? The very wealth that affords one the ability to own a meticulously hand-crafted Bentley is the same burden weighing heavily enough on the conscience to give pause before purchasing that very symbol of affluence and status.
Perhaps it’s a nod to the understated elegance long associated with the Bentley brand and its regal association with the British royal family. Where rivals like Lamborghini practically beg for sideways glances with their flamboyant styling, Bentley has cultivated a more subtle, stately persona reflective of “cool Britannia.”
This refined sensibility aligns with Hallmark’s observation that Bentley’s customers are “less likely to seek out the judgmental stares” that come with the overly ostentatious trappings of other luxury marques. Even Rolls-Royce doesn’t quite match Bentley’s sense of reserved decorum these days.
And decorum is clearly the order of the day as the world grapples with the economic fallout from conflicts like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The resulting inflation has already taken a sizable bite out of Bentley’s biggest markets in Europe and China.
Still, the brand’s dishearteningly modest 13,560 unit sales in 2023 somehow amounted to its third-best year ever. One can’t help but wonder how much higher those numbers might have soared without such intense “emotional sensitivity” from their plutocratic client base.
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