British firm Bentley has confirmed that its first electric car, which is due to arrive in 2025, will be built at its history Crewe factory.
Bentley has been producing cars at the Pyms Lane site for more than 75 years – and that is set to continue into the firm’s all-electric future thanks to a £2.5 billion investment in sustanability that will help create a ‘Bentley Dream Factory’. The money will be spent on expanding and upgrading the site and in research and development, with a big focus on sustainability.
While all Bentley models are currently built in Crewe, it hadn’t been clear that would be the case with its first battery electric model. Bentley is part of the Volkswagen Group, and its first EV will be based on an all-new advanced electric platform currently being developed by sister brand Audi. That machine is due in the coming years and will be built in Hanover. But while unpainted bodies of Bentley’s EV will be built at that site, they will then be shipped to Crewe to be engineered, fitted and finished.
Bentley’s first EV is set to be a radically different vehicle from the brand’s current range. It will take the form of a high-riding saloon, and like the Audi model it is based on will offer advanced software and technology – although it will still retain a greater level of ‘analogue’ functions in line with the brand’s current customers.
While Bentley is still three years away from launching its first EV, it isn’t hanging around in electrification: the brand has committed to an all-electric global line-up by 2030 as part of its Beyond100 strategy. It is also aiming to be carbon neutral by that.
The investment in the Crewe site will allow for a ‘Bentley Dream Factory’, which the firm says will incorporate next-generation digital manufacturing concepts. Around 4000 people currently work at the site.
Bentley boss Adrian Hallmark said: “Our aim is to become the benchmark not just for luxury cars or sustainable credentials but the entire scope of our operations. Securing production of our first BEV in Crewe is a milestone moment for Bentley, and the UK, as we plan for a long-term sustainable future in Crewe.”
READ MORE
e-CARS
The ten best-selling electric cars in the UK
e-BIKES
Cairn Cycles E-Adventure 1.0 e-bike review
Ten e-bikes we’re looking forward to in 2022
e-MOTORBIKES
Ten electric motorbikes to look forward to in 2022
Art, sustainability and choppers - the wonderful world of Stirling Eco
e-SCOOTERS
Hypercar firm Bugatti's first electric vehicle is an 18mph e-scooter
Ride-hailing firm Bolt set for UK expansion after big investment
e-WORLD
Veolia to open first UK plant for recycling EV batteries
The new Bobcat T7X is a truly groundbreaking electric digger