surprise departure of Adrian Hallmark
, Bentley could justifiably call itself on a roll. It has just launched its third coachbuilt Mulliner, the Batur Convertible; the new Continental GT - a 782hp V8 hybrid - will arrive next month; and it found time last month to break ground on a new paint shop at Crewe.
Having lost the man ultimately responsible for its strategy to Aston Martin, the VW Group has been forced to dig deep for his replacement. After nearly two months, it reckons it has found its man in Frank-Steffen Walliser - an industry veteran who has already served nearly 30 years at Porsche.
When one of those brand-defining models includes the 918 Spyder it’s fair to say that Döllner is not selling the German short. And if that seems insufficiently challenging, from 2014 until 2019, Walliser was the Head of Motorsport at Porsche - not a job for the fainthearted - before he took over management of the all-important 911 and 718 product lines.
“I am approaching this job with great respect and looking forward to having a team in Crewe that has shown impressive performance over the last few years. The continuing transformation of the automotive industry will be a major task for Bentley as well, a task that I am happy to take on with the team. I am convinced Bentley will continue to set standards in the luxury segment in the future” Walliser said.