“You have full world competition here,” says Bentley chief executive Frank-Steffen Walliser referring to the fact the UAE’s roads are home to cars from Europe, the US, China and beyond. “It's one of not a lot of places in the world where cars come from everywhere. It’s more or less very open,” he says. “This really reflects a super competitive market.”
As for where Bentley fits into the market, he’s very clear: “In the UAE, we are doing very, very well. We see stability but also growth potential for the upcoming years."
Walliser is in Dubai for the first time since taking over the role of chairman and chief executive at Bentley Motors in July. He’s no stranger to the brand’s parent company, Volkswagen Group, coming off a storied career at Porsche, where he started his journey in 1995.
At Porsche, he managed its all-important 911 and 718 product lines and was also responsible for the 918 Spyder super sports car, an extremely high-performance hybrid. All experiences that will help him shepherd Bentley through its next phase.
One aspect of Bentley that will be new to Walliser is the sheer number of possibilities for customisation for each model, which is a key driver of demand in the region. “I think in our segment, the total sales numbers are not that important," he says. "For sure you need a certain volume, but what we see is the quality of the cars. The customers here are keen on having a personalised car.
“We fly in some of our designers, so they sit together with the customer for three or four hours and do the specification of the car. But then it's definitely their car. You can do so many things with a Bentley. We make everything possible. The customers are sometimes surprised by what we can do.
“To give you a rough number, the content on average is double in comparison to the average globally in terms of bespoke content. So this is our market for super exclusive, super special cars."
Joining the very British Bentley after nearly three decades at the very German Porsche doesn't appear to have been a culture shock. “Bentley has a very welcoming culture," he adds. "It's not just another brand, it's another country, it's another culture, it's also another company culture. "A lot of things changed but I felt very positive. The transition was good."
After a process of immersion into the world of the marque, studying its rich history, he rolled up his sleeves and got to work on the present and, more importantly, the future straight away.
Bentley doesn't need the wholesale revitalisation it once did. When the Continental GT was launched two decades ago, the brand was ailing. That model single-handedly reinvigorated it for a new generation. Walliser’s challenge now will be to tweak the line-up of models - or the technology behind them - to create a car that can take Bentley into the next two decades.
“The plug-in hybrid was a bold move,” says Walliser about the transition of both the Continental GT and Flying Spur to hybrid-only models. “It was well received by the customers, especially when they're driving the car, they say: ‘Wow, this is completely different. We can feel this hybrid adds more to the car than it takes away.'"
The fully hybrid models are a major step on the brand’s way to electrification, although the target for full electrification was pushed back to 2035. “The move to the electric car is maybe the most demanding task in the history of the car,” says Walliser. “This is clearly driven by regulation, but we also see there's a demand and acceptance for plug-in hybrid. And so this is why we extend our offering and plug-in hybrids in our model lines. And on the other side, we are coming with a full electric Bentley in 2027.”
Walliser knows that some Bentley purists will reject this model, but he also sees it as an opportunity to invite a different type of customer into the Bentley universe. Someone less attracted by W12 engines and more by the intersection of heritage and cutting-edge technology.
That’s the thing with leading a brand like Bentley into the future, you have to juggle heritage, regulation and future planning by constantly bringing new people into your customer base.
While Walliser is committed to preserving Bentley’s heritage and has a keen sense of what needs updating and what doesn't - the logo seems to be safe and there is no Jaguar-like identity crisis here - he knows that forward movement is essential. “If you stay too much in the past and you do not develop design and brand, you lose your reputation over time," he says. "A brand is like a bank account, and if you withdraw all the time you are going to be bankrupt. You need to put something in.”
As for that all-electric model coming in 2027, he remains tight-lipped. “It’s a new segment. Call it ‘luxury urban SUV.’ It’ll be more compact, for a Bentley. It’s still not a tiny car," jokes Walliser. "It’s exciting and we’re very focused on how to bring emotions in an electric car.”
