You need a bit of luck to spot a Bentley on German roads. Although the British luxury brand is now one of the Volkswagen Group's 13 brands, it deliberately remains in the niche, as it is also the official supplier to the British royal family. So much nobility is a must.
The target group in this country is certainly very specific. An initial approximation can be made - if at all - via the spatial distribution of very high-income households that have a corresponding purchasing power. purchasing power purchasing power.
103 years of the Bentley, even for the rich
The car brand Bentley Motors Ltd. was founded in London in January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley, a racing driver and entrepreneur. The brand was taken over by Rolls Royce in 1931 and has been part of Volkswagen AG since 1998. Some people on the island must have been "not amused" by VW of all companies.
As mentioned at the beginning, Bentley's target group is very exclusive. In a 19-year-old Spiegel article, the then boss explained that this primarily included people with assets of 30 million euros or more. At that time, a plan B was developed and a model was designed for the so-called "normal rich", with disposable assets of at least five million euros. There are at least a few of these in this country.
According to the KBA (passenger car data), exactly 681 Bentleys were registered in Germany in 2020, and more than 11,000 vehicles worldwide. This is a niche market and the target group certainly cannot be reached economically via the usual communication channels (e.g. poster sites, TV advertising).
But for a bit of Bentley luxury in everyday life, the company placed a half-page ad in the weekend edition of the Süddeutsche Zeitung on December 18, 2021, to promote its own collection ("exclusive gifts" such as bags, home & lifestyle, model cars). As a precaution, it also lists all the retailer locations. For us, this was an opportunity to carry out a small geo-analysis with catchment areas and almost "normal-rich" households. Purchasing power matters!
The environment of the Bentley locations
There are exactly 11 locations that Bentley operates as points of sale in Germany. Our map (PDF) shows their distribution as well as an assumed core catchment area of 50 kilometers around each location. This is a very conservative calculation, as a 50-kilometer drive is unlikely to be a hurdle if you want to make your luxury dream come true. Depending on the desired model, some people drive all over Germany.
The map also shows all zip code areas (Zip code) with an absolute potential of at least 2,000 households with a net income of more than €5,000 per month.
Of these 171 Zip code , 142 Zip code are located within these hypothetical catchment areas, mostly in the suburbs of metropolitan areas. They comprise a total of around 360,000 households that fall into this category. The target group of Bentley-affine buyers is certainly more selective, with aristocracy, industrial barons or heirs, or at least very wealthy, coming to mind.
The location in Singen is somewhat out of the ordinary. The proximity to Switzerland is probably the decisive factor here, as it is just 5 kilometers to the border. The nearest dealer can be found in the Zurich area.
Are you interested in data on households and household incomes or special segments such as the "super-rich"? We can determine the potential of this exclusive target group for your analyses on request, including at Zip code area level. For the automotive and energy sectors, we have extensive data on charging stations or affinity for e-mobility in our portfolio.
Available soon: The update on purchasing power
This year, Nexiga, as one of the leading providers of location intelligence and geomarketing, is once again using the latest data to determine the purchasing power of German consumers. The calculations are based on data from the DIW (German Institute for Economic Research) and the ifo Institute as well as the Federal Statistical Office and the Federal Labor Office.
The data will be available shortly. Here you can read the information on the 2021 purchasing power update.