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Bentley unveils the Grand Convertible, a droptop Mulsanne Speed

Five years ago, when Bentley was preparing its farewell shindig for the Arnage, reports were that the Arnage's coupe and convertible siblings, the Brooklands and Azure, would get replacements on the Mulsanne platform. Obviously, that hasn't happened, although we were teased with the Mulsanne Vision Concept in 2012. Then, just this summer, we were again teased with rumors of a Brooklands and Azure one-two punch. While it still hasn't happened yet, Bentley's unveiling of the Grand Convertible seems to have put things in gear.
Not 'merely' a roofless Mulsanne, the Grand Convertible appears to be a droptop Mulsanne Speed, powered by a 6.75-liter engine with 530 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque, and fitted with the directional wheels only available on the Mulsanne Speed. Finished outside in Sequin Blue with a "liquid metal" hood and windshield frame and a burl walnut veneer on the tonneau cover - a similar combo used to introduce the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé eight years ago - the cabin is covered in Beluga leather with blue cross-stitching.
Company CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer says Bentley is watching customer reaction to the car, yet the press release says it's been "Developed to signify Bentley's intentions for the future." That sounds like better than even odds we'll be seeing this on the roads. For now, though, you can see it in the high-res gallery above, at the LA Auto Show starting this week, and at Art Basel in Miami after that, and you'll find a bit more info on it in the press release below.

Volkswagen profit jumps as it warns of a cooling auto market

FRANKFURT, Germany — Volkswagen says its profits jumped 44% in the third quarter thanks to a more profitable mix of vehicles in its lineup but warned that global car markets are slowing more than expected and lowered its forecast for annual sales. After-tax profit rose to $4.42 billion (3.98 billion euros) as revenues rose 11% to $68.27 billion (61.42 billion euros). The sales margin of 7.8% exceeded the goal of 6.5-7.5% as vehicles bringing higher profits took a larger share of sales. The Wolfsburg-based automaker pointed to the headwinds facing the industry by saying that it expects "vehicle markets will contract faster than previously anticipated in many regions of the world." It said sales would be "on a level" with last year's record of 10.8 million vehicles. Previously it had expected a slight increase. The company said its profits would be in the lower end of its forecast range. Global automakers are facing a slowdown in sales amid disputes over trade and from pressure in the European Union and China to develop and sell low-emission vehicles that require heavy investment in new technology. Ford and Renault have issued profit warnings in recent days, while Daimler, maker of Mercedes-Benz luxury cars, lost money in the second quarter and is expected to outline a cost-cutting strategy for investors on Nov. 14. Volkswagen is leading the push into electric vehicles in Europe by launching its ID.3 battery-powered compact car at prices it says will make zero local emission vehicles a mass phenomenon. The company was able to increase earnings in the quarter despite an 18% rise in spending on research and development.

Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 Concept is our first, maybe best, 2015 Geneva surprise [w/video]

Legend has it that Ettore Bugatti once referred to the machines from Bentley as "the world's fastest lorries." While a lot has changed in Crewe over the years, the company's status as a maker of big, heavy, bruising GT cars has carried on. Then the 2015 Geneva Motor Show arrived, and Bentley dropped the EXP 10 Speed 6. First and foremost, it's a two-seater, rather than a 2+2, like so many Bentley coupes before. It's svelte and curvy, all the while appearing more muscular than any other Bentley has been in a long time. Certain Bentley styling trademarks, like the way the huge rear haunches feed over the rear wheels and into the profile and egg-crate grille (complete with heritage-inspired "6" logo) are there, but there's so much new here. The powerful scooped hood, pert rear end and massive ducts behind the front wheels are decidedly more aggressive than what we've come to expect from Bentley, while the slim rear taillights are a different take on the units found on the Continental GT. The headlights, meanwhile, carry on the look of modern Bentleys, but feature a beautifully intricate design in the main lamp. The outer pair of lights, meanwhile, look like a mix of accent and fog lights. One of the biggest complaints about modern Bentleys is that their interiors are quite antiquated. The materials remain top notch, but the technology is ancient relative to the rest of the auto industry. The EXP 10 Speed 6 finally addresses this, and in grand fashion. A gorgeous leather-wrapped steering wheel is flanked by huge leather and metal paddles, while a digital gauge cluster is a big improvement on the Conti's analog dials. A tablet-like interface crowns the high center console, while a beautiful, fat shifter looks ready to fall right to the driver's hand. We'll have more on the EXP 10 Speed 6 in the coming days. Check out the official images and press release on the new concept, as well as a few Short Cut videos we captured during the car's debut at Volkswagen's sprawling Group Night show, below. EXP 10 SPEED 6 - A VISION OF BENTLEY DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE MAR 2, 2015 Concept for sector-defining two-seater sportscar Futuristic Bentley design, a statement in modern British luxury Potential future model line (Crewe / Geneva, 2nd March 2015) Bentley Motors is showing the future direction of luxury and performance with the EXP 10 Speed 6 at the 2015 Geneva International Motor Show.