Bentley ready to fly car bodies across Europe if Brexit goes badly
British luxury brand ready to airlift supplies
Bentley is calling in the air force.
The luxury automaker, whose logo is a B with wings, has lined up a fleet of planes to help avoid potential ground supply line issues caused by a disorderly Brexit process.
"We have spent two years planning. We have five Antonovs that we have on reserve to fly bodies to Manchester," Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark told the Financial Times' Future of the Car summit on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
The final assembly of Bentley vehicles takes place at its headquarters in Crewe, near Manchester, but the Volkswagen Group-owned brand sources 90% of its parts from continental Europe, including bodies built at the corporation’s German factories.
Ukraine-based Antonov makes some of the world’s largest cargo planes, including the A-124.
(Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Bentley’s logo was primarily designed to evoke the “exhilaration of motion,” according to the century-old company, but founder W.O. Bentley also had a background in engineering fighter aircraft engines during World War I.
BENTLEY IS GOING ALL-ELECTRIC BY 2030
Hallmark added that the company has made other contingency plans regarding its logistics and has switched from a just-in-time supply strategy to keeping three weeks' worth of parts in stock as a buffer against disruptions.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VWAGY | VOLKSWAGEN AG | 15.03 | +0.03 | +0.20% |
Despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, the chief executive expects the company to break even and possibly turn a profit on sales of over 10,000 vehicles this year, with deliveries up 35% in China and 15% in the U.S. and Europe.
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