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Now you can order a Bentley with real stone trim

Order up a new Bentley and you'll have some choices to make. After choosing which model, you'll need to select from over a hundred standard exterior paint colors and a staggering array of trim options – and now, interior stone veneers. Mulliner will now outfit your Bentley with actual stone trim. Now we know what you're probably thinking: stone adds weight. But here's the kicker: Bentley's new stone veneers measure just 0.004 inches thick. That's less than the breadth of a human hair, and (according to the automaker) makes these trim pieces not only very lightweight, but also translucent. The rocks are sourced from quaries in India, cured using fiberglass and resin, and finished by the Mulliner coachbuilding team back at the factory in Crewe, England. Customers will be able to select between a natural finish or in four tints to install on a new Continental or Flying Spur. So if you were hoping for a little extra ballast in your 5,300-lb Bentayga or 6,000-lbs Mulsanne, we're afraid you'll just have to choose a different interior accent. STONE VENEERS BY MULLINER – THE NEXT LEVEL OF MODERN BRITISH LUXURY - Bentley pushes boundaries of cabin luxury with new and rare materials - Lightweight and contemporary feature developed by Mulliner - Four exclusive colours: Galaxy, Autumn White, Terra Red and Copper (Crewe, 04 January, 2016) Bentley Motors' bespoke coach-building division, Mulliner, is introducing the next level of modern British automotive luxury – stone veneers. This innovative interior finish utilises state-of-the-art stone veneer technology to make a luxurious, contemporary feature of a natural product formed over 200 million years. The slate and quartzite stone is sustainably sourced from hand-selected quarries in Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh, India – a nation with an ancient and rich culture of stone masonry. The sections of stone are split from larger pieces and cured using glass fibre and a bespoke resin. Finally, they are shaped and hand finished by Bentley's world-renowned Mulliner coachbuilding team at the company's headquarters in Crewe, England. The stone surfaces of the veneers are just 0.1 mm thick, meaning that they are both extremely light and translucent, allowing the elegant grain and pattern in the stone to be visible to the interior occupants.

Bentley officially chooses Bentayga name for new SUV

The Bentayga is here and the Bentayga cometh. The former is the Roque Bentayga, a rock formation on the island of Gran Canaria, the second is the arriving Bentley crossover, whose name is inspired by that formation. Yet that's only part of the tale: Bentley says that the taiga, a massive zone of sub-arctic forests that forms a ring around the upper latitudes of the northern hemisphere, played a part in the Betayga's name, too. Oh, and the company's founder – he's got a hand in as well. Company CEO Wolfgang Durheimer says Bentley has taken 4,000 deposits already, and some Bentayga trims will cost more than the Bentley Mulsanne. We do think it right and proper that the Bentley crossover will break the seal on super-luxe SUVs, since it was the Bentley Continental GT – 12 years ago, remember – broke open the market for super-luxe GTs. Still, everything that's gone into the Bentayga name is a lot of responsibility for crossover. We'll find out if its elevated haunches can support the load later this year, when it's revealed in advance of going on sale in 2016. For now, there's video above of it testing in the dunes of the Middle East. The press release below can tell you a bit more. BENTLEY BENTAYGA: THE NEW PINNACLE SUV - Taking luxury to new places, Bentayga is inspired by the natural world - The Bentley Bentayga combines pinnacle luxury and performance (Crewe/Detroit, 12th January 2015) Bentley's all-new and ground-breaking luxury SUV is set to be revealed to the world later this year and a name has been chosen: Bentley Bentayga. This sector-defining SUV will be able to introduce Bentley's renowned modern British luxury to limitless destinations with an impressive combination of on and off road performance. The natural world, along with the company's founder, inspired its name. Crowning the Northern Hemisphere, to the north of Bentley's birthplace in England, is the dramatic beauty of the Taiga, the world's largest transcontinental snowforest. To the south, the rugged peak of the Roque Bentayga in the subtropical Canary Islands draws attention from all directions and a challenging climb rewards with spectacular panoramic views of a rich and diverse landscape.

VW makes $23K on every Porsche sold, more than Bentley or Lamborghini

It's a good time to be in the luxury car business. In Volkswagen Group's financial report for the 2013 fiscal year, it is revealed that that Porsche enjoyed an operating margin of 18 percent. That means the Stuttgart brand made on average about $23,200 per car sold, according to BusinessWeek. Bentley wasn't far behind, and Audi (which was combined with Lamborghini) posted a 10.1 percent margin. This compares to only around 2.9 percent for the Volkswagen brand.
"Luxury brands are on fire," said Dave Sullivan, an industry analyst at AutoPacific. He said that the average profit margin is between six and eight percent. Brands like Porsche and Bentley have the benefit of competing in rarefied markets. Buyers looking at one their vehicles have fewer models to shop against and don't care as much about price. They can also charge more for options, which further boosts income, according to BusinessWeek.
In a way, we should be more impressed by the continued success from Audi. Its models generally have direct competitors in every segment from the other premium automakers. Plus, their buyers aren't the captains of industry who are shopping for a Bentley. Still, the Four Rings is leading rivals in sales so far this year.