Bentley Wants New Flying Spur To Give Maybach And AMG S-Class’ A Run For Their Money

While the current Flying Spur costs between £132,800 ($174,000) and £169,800 ($223,000) in the UK, it’s actually less expensive than a Mercedes-Maybach or a flagship S65 version, the latter costing upwards of £189,260 ($250,000).

Bentley will look to address that “issue” with the upcoming all-new Flying Spur, as it will be positioned more towards the £200,000 ($263,000) mark so as to give high-end S-Class models a proper run for their money, said company CEO Adrian Hallmark.

“That market has boomed, and we haven’t,” said the Bentley boss in an interview with Autonews Europe at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. “Mercedes with AMG and Maybach has done a good job at repositioning the S-Class to give a very sporty and very premium character that goes beyond the base offer.”

“We want to get a lot more volume at the 200,000-pound price point. We’ve positioned it so you get a lot more for your money.”

Bentley’s new Flying Spur will utilize the same Porsche-sourced MSB platform as the Continental GT, which also means getting Porsche’s fast-shifting transmission – although getting that gearbox to shift smoothly enough so as to satisfy Bentley customers is one reason why the Flying Spur has been delayed.

Hallmark added that the nameplate’s biggest market is the United States, followed by China, Europe and then the UK. He also said that in the US, people generally buy this car so as to drive it themselves, rather than to be chauffeured in it.