Bentley to halt production for up to seven weeks
Volkswagen's Bentley brand set the sales books on fire in 2007 - selling a record-setting 10,014 vehicles - but the global economic crisis is making that record seem like it's more than just a year removed. Bentley's sales plummeted by 20 percent in 2008, forcing the British automaker to announce further production cuts for 2009.
Bentley announced earlier on Monday that falling sales will force the luxury automaker to idle its Crewe plant for up to seven weeks. "There's a global downturn in the automotive market," Bentley spokesman Mike Hawes told AFP. "The market continues to be in decline globally so we have decided to stop production for six or seven weeks."
The Crewe plant will be shuttered between March and May.
Bentley launched an initiative last May to cut production by 15 percent, but dropping demand has far outpaced that plan. Additionally, 1,400 of Bentley's 4,000 workers are already on a three-day work week.
Although the current economic situation - particularly in the U.S. - is partly to blame for slumping demand, Bentley's fuel-inefficient brand image is also behind the sales slide. However, Bentley is planning to counter the latter by announcing its bio-fuel plans at March's Geneva Motor Show.