From WO Bentley, who founded Bentley Motors in 1919, to the current team of over 4,000 dedicated colleagues, the company’s extraordinary cars have always been designed and built by exceptional people using only the finest of materials. Today, the company’s headquarters in Crewe is home to all of its operations including design, R&D, engineering and the acclaimed Mulliner bespoke division. The combination of fine craftsmanship, using skills that have been handed down through generations, alongside engineering expertise and cutting-edge technology is unique to UK luxury car brands such as Bentley. It is also an example of high-value British manufacturing at its very best.
Bentley’s forward-looking Beyond100 strategy aims to reinvent the company's entire product range to embrace an electrified future, achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. In January this year, Bentley made even greater commitments to achieving these ambitious targets, and to its future in the UK. The acceleration of the boldest plan in the sector included a titled ‘Five-in-Five’ target, which commits Bentley to launching a new electric model each year, from 2025, redefining Bentley’s credentials as the benchmark manufacturer in sustainable luxury mobility.
Bentley also revealed a €3 billion sustainable investment and confirmed that from 2025, the first Bentley electric vehicle will be designed, developed and produced at its headquarters in Crewe. The announcement was a major boost to the region, and of course to the UK as a sustainable base for high-value manufacturing. The investment will also allow a fundamental reinvention of the Crewe manufacturing infrastructure, and help secure Bentley’s future at Crewe for the next generation of products and colleagues.
The company has already made enormous strides in reinventing the historic Crewe site, creating an industry-leading certified carbon neutral facility, and the new investment and acceleration of the Beyond100 strategy will now be the basis to reduce Bentley’s carbon footprint across all products and non-factory operations, in line with Bentley’s commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030. It is also shining light for the Bentley family, its suppliers and partners, as well as the automotive industry and UK manufacturing as a whole.
The biggest employer in the local area of Crewe, its people are Bentley’s biggest asset. A truly diverse workforce, Bentley currently employs colleagues from 44 different countries and is continually acclaimed as a Top Employer, evidence of its commitment to Bentley’s innovative and compelling approach to its colleagues own extraordinary journeys.
To help design and realise this dream of the future, the company has stepped up its focus on attracting a wide range of talent, including problem solvers, digital innovators and creative thinkers from all walks of life and backgrounds, as well as retraining existing colleagues in specific areas. This resulted in the company being awarded silver status for the ‘We Invest in Apprentices’ programme conducted by Investors in People. Bentley Motors is the first and only automotive company to achieve this.
"Like many great marques, the Bentley story became a reality in 1919 thanks to capability and vision of a single person: WO Bentley. In the ensuing 11 years, WO created the most sought after luxury brand in the world, with more legendary achievements than most could achieve in a lifetime," says Adrian Hallmark, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bentley Motors, when asked why Bentley Motors should win British Luxury Brand of the Year at the Walpole British Luxury Awards 2022.
"Some 103 years later, with over 4,000 dedicated colleagues headquartered in Crewe, our relentless pursuit of luxury and performance has remained a constant throughout and we are still the biggest luxury marque in automotive. Our version of luxury is simple, we build the best quality high technology cars in the world, and this is thanks to our craftsmen and women, who set standards for others to follow, with an unrivalled eye for detail and precision. As importantly, we have demonstrated that the UK is perfectly capable to house the world’s most successful high technology businesses, even in challenging times.
"In 2020, we announced 'Beyond 100', a 3 billion euro investment commitment to transform our infrastructure, products and people skills, to become fully electric, and end to end carbon neutral by 2030. This will set a benchmark for the automotive industry as a whole and is a shining light for UK manufacturing cementing the future of our Crewe headquarters as a centre of excellence with a focus on extraordinary people, products and collaboration."
And what would it mean for Hallmark if Bentley Motors won Best British Luxury Brand of the Year at the Walpole British Luxury Awards 2022?
"To be recognised in this way by Walpole, the official sector body for UK luxury would make the entire Bentley family extremely proud."
The Walpole British Luxury Awards 2022 takes place at The Dorchester in London on Monday 21 November 2022. More information here.
