( dpa )- Bentley, the luxury British marque owned by Volkswagen of Germany, has surpassed sales of 10,000 cars per year for the first time, the company said Sunday in Berlin.
The carmaker lifted 2007 sales to 10,014 cars, a gain of 7 per cent.
The United States was the main market for the cars, gaining 4 per cent to 4,196 units despite the subprime loans crisis and the year-end downturn in the US economy.
In Bentley's British homeland, the marque racked up sales of 2,079 cars, up 7 per cent. Chinese buyers bought 338 Bentleys during the year.
Formerly a sub-brand of Rolls-Royce, Bentley inherited the English factories while BMW of Germany took over the Rolls-Royce name and built a new factory to make those cars in southern England.
Annual sales of the BMW Rolls-Royce have only just exceeded 1,000. Rolls-Royce is now seeking to catch up with the former stablemate by introducing a cheaper model.