Bentley, which is enjoying record sales at the moment, here in the U.S. and across the world, has announced it is appointing Michael Winkler as the new head of Bentley Motors Inc., the automaker’s unit responsible for the Americas. A total of 3,186 Bentleys were sold in the Americas in 2014, representing 29 percent of total deliveries.

Winkler takes up the new role on April 1, 2015 and will replace Christophe Georges, who is being tasked with running Bentley’s global marketing operations as well as its motorsport promotion and auto show organization.

Winkler is a 30-year auto industry veteran and has previously worked for Porsche and Jaguar Land Rover. His last role was head of Jaguar Land Rover’s Australian division. At Bentley, he’ll report to Kevin Rose, the automaker’s head of sales, marketing and aftersales.

“The Americas region plays a key part in Bentley’s global success, our biggest market with more Bentley customers than anywhere else in the world,” Rose said in a statement. “I am delighted to welcome Michael to Bentley, and look forward to working with him to drive our brand and network presence further.”

One of Winkler’s first major product launches will be Bentley’s Bentayga SUV, which is set for a reveal later this year and due in showrooms sometime in 2016. Other new models tipped to be in the pipeline are a Mulsanne convertible and a sporty model that could form a new point of entry for the brand.

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