Earlier this month, Audi and Porsche distributor PGA Cars formally opened the doors to the newest member of its high-end stable: Bentley Manila. Of course, the obvious question that immediately followed was: Can they sell a decent number of insanely priced automobiles in the Philippines? Well, apparently, the answer is yes. And that\'s because all indicators are so far pointing to an auspicious direction.
For one, Bentley recently brought Top Gear Philippines consumer editor Botchi Santos to China to test-drive the new Flying Spur (shown in the photos). Our long stay in the business has taught us that an ultra-luxurious brand like Bentley will not invite a journalist from a small market to an overseas event if it is not serious about its operations in said market.
For another, we\'ve gathered from a source close to Bentley Manila that the distributor has, in fact, already sold several units, including \"six or seven Continental GTs\" and \"two Mulsannes.\" Our source added that one of the Mulsannes went to businessman Manny V. Pangilinan.
According to Botchi, Bentley\'s marketing head for Asia-Pacific, Robin Peel, puts his company\'s sales target in the Philippines at around 20 units a year.
At about P18 million for the Continental GT V8 and about P32 million for the Mulsanne, do you think the target is unrealistic, just right or conservative?
