BENTLEY Motors has announced it sold 10,000 plus car sales worldwide for the third consecutive year – despite an overall decline brought on by a slump in China.

The luxury car manufacturer, which is owned by Volkswagen, reported that it had delivered 10,100 vehicles across the globe in 2015, an 8.35 per cent fall from the record 11,020 achieved in 2014.

The figure is the lowest since 2012, when Bentley announced sales of 8,510 cars, and is just below the 10,120 cars sold in 2013.

However, the figure is the third largest sales figure overall.

David Brown, deputy leader of Cheshire East Council, congratulated Bentley, which has pledged to invest £800 million investment in Crewe over three years in product and facility development.

Cllr Brown said: “We have many businesses and industries in Cheshire East achieving great things and Bentley stands out as a beacon of excellence, prestige and quality.

“I congratulate the Crewe workforce for their outstanding contribution to the company’s achievements.”

Some 85 per cent of all Bentleys are exported around the world.

The firm sold 1,615 cars to China in 2015 – down 36 per cent or 945 cars from 2,560 in 2014.

Despite this, the British firm recorded record sales in South Korea, Japan and the Middle East.

The number one customer region throughout 2015 was North America, delivering 2,864 cars, down from 3,186 in 2014. This accounted for 28 per cent of global deliveries.

In Europe, sales were up by 10 per cent with 1,695 cars delivered against the previous figure of 1,539 cars.

The UK established itself as the second highest selling country, delivering 1,457 cars, up from 1,387 in 2014, achieving an 85 per cent export figure.

Wolfgang Dürheimer, Bentley’s chairman and chief executive, said: “The positive Bentley Motors performance last year was supported by increases across key sales regions and was driven by our continued commitment to invest – in our products, in our people and in our network.

“We have worked hard to build a sustainable platform to enable long-term growth and this will help deliver a strong 2016, with the all-new Bentayga playing an important role, with first deliveries imminent.

“We also have exciting plans ahead as we look to introduce future models, allowing more customers around the world to experience Bentley’s unique combination of luxury and performance.”