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You can ice the Bentley Bentayga for $13 grand

Want to drive the new Bentley Bentayga? You'll be able to place your order soon enough, assuming you've got the scratch. And then you'll be able to drive it pretty much anywhere. But if you want to drive it on ice, and don't want to wait for delivery, then check out Bentley's Power on Ice program. The British automaker has been hosting ice-driving events for years now. But this winter, it's adding the new Bentayga to the mix. Participants will be invited to drive it on 10 ice tracks created atop frozen lakes in Finland. The tracks were designed by four-time World Rally Champion and ice-speed record-setter Juha Kankkunen, who also serves as lead instructor for the program. Of course, while the Bentayga may have the most advanced traction system on board, it's not the only all-wheel-drive Bentley lined up for the program. As you can see from the video above - in which the Bentayga appears only in parts starting around the halfway mark - there'll be Continentals, Flying Spurs, and even the GT3-R on hand as well. The event is based at the Chalet Ruka Peak in northern Finland. It also includes fine Scandinavian cuisine, saunas, and a nighttime dog-sled expedition to an old reindeer farm. Of course none of that comes cheap, with prices depending on the level of accommodation specified. But the experience starts off at ˆ11,900 per person – or about $13k at current exchange rates. BENTAYGA MAKES POWER ON ICE DEBUT Oct 29, 2015 - Bentley's extraordinary ice-driving event returns for 2016 - Bentayga to demonstrate prowess on frozen lakes of Finland - Former World Rally Champion, Juha Kankkunen, leads tuition team (Crewe, 29 October 2015) The most powerful, most luxurious, most exclusive and fastest SUV in the world, the Bentley Bentayga, makes its ice-driving debut in 2016 at Bentley's flagship customer event, Power on Ice. Power on Ice is an unforgettable four-day experience that provides the opportunity to push a full range of Bentley cars to their limits. Running throughout February next year, guests will be among the first to explore the Bentayga's extraordinary capabilities in one of the most beautiful and challenging environments in the world. Two days of exhilarating ice driving training are provided by the vastly experienced Bentley Ice Driving Team. Leading the tuition will be four-time World Rally Champion and two-time ice-speed record holder, Juha Kankkunen – who personally designs each of the ten ice tracks.

VW Group shareholders demand Bentley return to profit

The Volkswagen Group's main shareholders are giving British ultraluxury division Bentley an ultimatum to turn around its finances and start earning a profit. The Piech and Porsche families did not say what would happen if the brand fails to return to the black, but they said it should happen within two years. "The important thing is for every (VW Group) brand to generate a reasonable contribution again," Wolfgang Porsche told the subscription-only Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, as relayed by Automotive News. "That is not currently the case at Bentley, and we are not satisfied." Volkswagen Group has not yet issued its report for full-year 2018, but Bentley had lost the equivalent of $157 million through the first nine months on an 11 percent decline in sales. In 2017, Bentley sold 10,566 vehicles globally, with revenue down 9.2 percent from 2016. VW Group apparently cites the slow rollout of the Continental GT and the British pound's lower value amid Brexit talks, which makes the many parts it sources from continental Europe more expensive, as among the reasons. A German study last summer claimed that Bentley lost a little more than $19,000 on each car. Adrian Hallmark started as CEO in February 2018 after heading global brand strategy for Jaguar. Bentley in 2018 released the all-new 2019 Continental GT after a nine-month delay, and it revealed the GTC convertible version in Los Angeles. Hallmark has said 2019 "is a conversion year to a better business model" after a year plagued by problems that also included European WLTP certification. He announced last year the luxury brand would no longer build new sports cars, though the brand says it's still committed to the idea of the two-door GT. Bentley has also said it wants electrified versions of all its models by 2025, which will be an expensive proposition and will likely including plug-in hybrid versions of current models.

On any given Sunday, there'll be a Bentley racing somewhere

Most of us would regard Bentley more as a luxury marque than a racing one. Sure, it dominated Le Mans in the 1920s with five wins (four of them consecutively), but that was a long time ago. It won again in 2003, but that was an exception – right? Bentley doesn't actually race much anymore, does it? The short answer is: yes, yes it does. The automaker rolled out the Continental GT3 a few years ago, following sister companies Porsche, Audi, and Lamborghini into the category. Now you may be scoffing something along the lines of "yeah but it's only GT3," but while you're doing that, Bentley Motorsport is steadily ramping up its racing program. This year we'll be able to see Contis racing in "more than 90 top-level GT races around the world." Count out the off-season that's now drawing to an end as the racing season gears up and you're talking about two races every week. Yeah, that's right: Bentley will, on average, be competing in two races each week somewhere in the world. Those races will be part of series like the Pirelli World Challenge here in America, the Blancpain Endurance Series in Europe, the ADAC GT Masters in Germany, the British GT Championship, and the GT Asia series. So wherever you live, there's bound to be a race coming up where you'll be able to see the Continental GT3 racing towards the finish line. Of course the Bentley Team M-Sport works squad won't be contesting all of those races itself. It has an array of customer and partner teams lined up for series around the world. Instead of fielding, for instance, a works entry in the Nurburgring 24 Hours this year, it'll deligate to the Bentley Team Abt Sportsline. But that's just one of the 90 races in which the Continental GT3 will compete this season, and we're looking forward to seeing how it fares in each. Related Video: BENTLEY ANNOUNCES LARGEST RACE PROGRAMME YET - Bentley Motorsport races across the globe in 2016 - Works team adds Blancpain Sprint Series to calendar - Wolfgang Reip becomes latest Bentley Boy 22 March 2016, Crewe – Bentley Motorsport will contest more than 90 top-level GT races around the world in 2016, as both its works and customer team programmes expand. The Bentley Team M-Sport works outfit will now enter the full Blancpain GT Series and welcomes Wolfgang Reip to the Blancpain Endurance Series line-up.