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Bentley cutbacks add to car sector woes

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Date: Friday 05 Sep 2008

LONDON (ShareCast) - More than one third of Crewe-based Bentley’s staff are to start working a three-day week, the luxury car maker announced today.

About 1,400 of the Volkswagen subsidiary’s staff will also have their working week cut from four to three days.

The news backs up claims yesterday by Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) chief executive Paul Everitt that the car industry is in a dire state.

“There is a clear need for sustained action by government to boost the economy and restore confidence,” Everitt said.

The new car market had its worst August in over 40 years, data from the SMMT showed. The number of new cars registered in August fell by 18.6% from the same month a year ago, the SMMT said.

“August is one of the quietest months for the new car market, but this year it was the lowest since 1966 with only 63,225 registrations,” Everitt said.

“The slow-down in the UK mirrors the difficult conditions being experienced across the main European markets.”

The SMMT said it expected September registrations to fall below 390,000, from more than 419,000 in the same month last year.

New car sales are generally slow in August as buyers wait until new registration plates are introduced in September before buying new cars.

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