As of this year, all of Bentley's operations in the Greater China region will be overseen by the manufacturer's Beijing-based Asia-Pacific regional headquarters, a website reported on 17th January. The news comes not long after branch company Bentley China's promotion to the official importer of the manufacturer's vehicles in the country.

These recent developments have been taken as proof of Bentley's commitment to China, which is now the manufacturer's second largest market worldwide.

Bentley's Chinese operations have been administered by Hong Kong-based conglomerate Dah Chong Hong since 2008. Starting this year, Bentley, via its Chinese branch, has officially taken control of its business operations for the region. Following this move, the UK manufacturer will take steps to expand its Chinese dealership network.

Bentley currently has dealerships spread across 24 Chinese cities. The manufacturer looks to increase that number to over 40 outlets by the end of this year, with dealerships active in every province.

Bentley sold a total of 8,510 vehicles in 2012, 22 percent more than the 7,003 vehicles it sold the year before. The US remained its most profitable market, with the manufacturer selling 2,457 vehicles in the country. By comparison, 2,253 Bentleys were sold in China last year, growing 22 percent from 2011.