Heritage

Kenyans Shelled Out Sh350m on 13 Luxury Cars

car

Continental T. OHOTO | COURTESY

A car, to most is a means of transportation, to others a status symbol, either way, a powerful machine on the road slurps up the tarmac like a child on candy.

At the recent motorshow, the Bentley Continental GT, a two-door coupé, stole the show with Kenyans oohing and aaahing the red unit on display.

The hand-prints smudges stood out on the otherwise sleek exterior as selfie seekers, Instagrammers and visionaries took photos to share or keep in their records.

When the engine is roared to life, you hear the sharp intake of breathes and can literally pick up the jaws from the floor of the audience drooling at the vehicle.

“The new Continental GT is available for the Kenyan market. There are already two orders for it, and demand for more. Last year, we delivered one unit of the previous generation. The Flying Spur [a four-door sedan] is also available. But as the new model is expected in 2020, production has stopped and there can be no orders placed for the moment,” says Dimitris Karakoulas, the general manager Bentley Nairobi.

Sh32million

Starting price for the Continental GT is at Sh32 million, according to Mr Karakoulas. Lovers of the Bentley Flying Spur will also have to wait until the new model is launched. It is expected at the range of Sh30 million ($300,000). Bentley said last year it had plans to bring in the Mulsanne but Mr Karakoulas says the model is not yet approved for the Kenyan market.

''We could expect it to be approved when a new model will be launched in the future,” he adds.

Kenyans are not shy about spending on cars, spending more than Sh20 million or higher on units fresh out of the local showrooms. At the end of 2017, five units of personalised Range Rover Autobiography which retail from Sh26.8 million to Sh49 million were personalised and driven out of the showroom by their new owners.

This is in addition to four units of the Range Rover Sport retailing from Sh21.9 million to Sh30.8 million.

A Mercedes G63 AMG 1 was also sold at an estimated Sh29.9 million and three units of the Toyota Lexus LX570, each retailing locally at Sh21.6 million.

The luxury cars category also registered 240 units sold, including Porsches, Mercedes, Jeep, Land Rover and Jaguar make part of the list.

“Porsche Cayenne has become one of the best-selling vehicles in the luxury segment. This is because of its amazing value for money and adaptability on the Kenyan roads,” says Mr Karakoulas.

The Porsche 911 Cabriolet saw a slower uptake than in previous years, which was to be expected as the motoring segment saw depressed sales compared to 2016.

Kenyan industries were hit by the uncertainty surrounding the election period, resulting in investors hedging and holding off investments until the tensions settled.

“Only one 911 Cabriolet was sold in the last years. This kind of sports car is not expected to be sold in high numbers in Kenya because of unfavourable roads,” said the Bentley boss, adding that ''considering also that last year the automotive market in Kenya was at its low, it was expected that no such car would be sold.''