Bentley, Maserati flaunt top models in Geneva as wealthy resume spending

Renewed optimism drives sales

Supercar sales are growing amid renewed optimism in the finance industry after the U.S. economy expanded 2.9 percent last year, the most in five years. Lamborghini, another VW division which is presenting the 700-horsepower Aventador, its most powerful serial model ever, may sell more vehicles in China than in the U.S. this year, according to CEO Stephan Winkelmann.

Deliveries in the U.S., the top market for the most expensive cars, may surge 146 percent in 2011 for vehicles costing from $200,000 to $400,000, according to Lexington, Massachusetts-based IHS Automotive.

China, the world's biggest auto market, will remain the fastest growing major economy in 2011, with a 9.6 percent expansion, the International Monetary Fund predicts.

Aventador

"The Asia-Pacific area only suffered a little drop" during the economic recession, Winkelmann said in an interview in Geneva. "The super-luxury market is coming back."

While Winkelmann says the 255,000 euro Aventador will be "one of the main drivers" of public attention, Lamborghini will have to compete with models made by Maserati and Ferrari at the annual auto show.

Maserati is presenting its GranCabrio Sport, a sportier version of its GranCabrio with a top speed of 285 kilometers per hour. The manufacturer is starting to collect orders for the 450-horsepower vehicle, which will be on sale from September. Maserati plans to further boost sales in China, where its deliveries rose 54 percent last year, outpacing a 47 percent increase in the U.S. Both manufacturers belong to Fiat S.p.A.

GranTurismo MC Stradale

Maserati, will begin to deliver its top- of-the-line GranTurismo MC Stradale this month. The company already sold out the first 200 of the 156,000 euro flagship model. The car surges to 100 kilometers per hour in 4.6 seconds and has a top speed of 301 kilometers per hour.

"At the top of the market the overall trend globally looks to be good, helped by improvements in the mature economies such as the U.S. and western Europe alongside growth in China, the Middle East and Russia," said Ian Fletcher, an analyst at IHS Automotive in London.

Ferrari unveiled the four-seat 260,000 euro FF, its first four-wheel drive model. The company aims to build 800 FFs annually, with the first year of production already sold out, Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo said Tuesday.

"Lower down the scale, the McLaren MP4-12C will find a customer in those who perhaps want something that isn't the Ferrari F430," said Fletcher. "The Bentley Continental GT has also got a bit of a following now and this is likely to carry on with the new next generation."

Bentley's 640-horsepower ISR model will be limited to 100 units, Duerheimer said, forecasting the series may be sold out by the summer. Bugatti has now sold 294 Veyron supercars and orders for the remaining six vehicles may be given away in Geneva, the CEO said.

"The ISR is like a raging bull," Duerheimer said. "I'm pretty confident it will sell fairly quickly."