As it turns out the first big decision Wolfgang Durheimer as the new CEO of Bentley has to make is a toughie! Whether or not the VW-owned British firm should add a third all-new model line besides the Continental and Mulsanne? The outgoing CEO Franz-Josef Paefgen believes that it’s Durheimer’s biggest challenge.

This past nine years Bentley enjoyed a big success under the leadership of Dr.Paefgen, but it was not very consistent. They had their ups and downs and they get caught in the midst of a terrible economic downturn which nearly resulted in luxury car sales to come to a halt. Thanks to the Continental’s success Bentley hit an all-time record selling 10,014 units in 2007, but in 2009 they only managed 4,616. And the new Mulsanne didn’t help much either since it has a far more limited market than the Continental and a much fatter price tag.

Those facts make it real hard for the new leader to decide if they should add a new model line. They are also facing problems regarding fuel consumption and emissions. So they might consider a more efficient model to balance things out, but then Bentley really isn’t about economy, is it?! After all, the only thing that matters is what type of car the third model line should be. One thing’s for sure, it’ll share many bits and parts with the Continental.

via: DetroitBureau