BENTLEY has introduced that it’ll develop and manufacture its first battery electrical car (BEV) in the UK. The primary mannequin is predicted to roll off the manufacturing line by 2025.
The information comes as the corporate commits to investing £2.5 billion ($A4.7 billion) in sustainability over the following ten years.
Firm chairman and CEO Adrian Hallmark mentioned the funding marked “a serious increase for the UK financial system” and that the BEV manufacturing facility would assure the longer term employment of the luxurious marque’s 4000 workers.
Mr Hallmark mentioned the numerous funding programme would outcome within the full transformation of Bentley’s whole product portfolio, in addition to its historic Crewe Campus, the place the VW Group subsidiary deliberate to construct an industry-leading greenfield manufacturing facility.
Bentley revealed its Beyond100 technique – which is able to see the Crewe-based model produce battery electrical automobiles (BEVs) solely and be end-to-end carbon impartial by the top of the last decade – in 2020.
“Beyond100 is the boldest plan in Bentley’s illustrious historical past – and within the luxury-vehicle section. It’s an bold and credible roadmap to carbon neutrality of our complete enterprise system, together with the shift to 100 per cent BEV manufacturing in simply eight years,” he mentioned.
“Our goal is to grow to be the benchmark not only for luxurious vehicles or sustainable credentials, however the complete scope of our operations. Securing manufacturing of our first BEV in Crewe is a milestone second for Bentley, and the UK, as we plan for a long-term sustainable future.”
Bentley has beforehand mentioned hybridised driveline know-how would change the 459kW/800Nm twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 petrol engine in its line-up inside 5 years. The British marque additionally dedicated to supply a plug-in hybrid model of each mannequin in its portfolio by 2024.
It’s understood the alternative driveline will comprise a 2.9-litre turbo-petrol V6 (sourced from Porsche) paired with a 100kW electrical motor and 14.1kWh battery pack in Flying Spur Hybrid variants, and a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 (sourced from Audi) paired with a 94kW electrical motor and 17.3kWh battery pack in Bentayga Hybrid variants.
Gross sales of recent petrol or diesel-powered automobiles are set to be banned within the UK from 2030.
The Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid would be the first mannequin to reach in native showrooms (from mid 2022), with the Bentayga SUV Hybrid to observe shortly thereafter.
“At the moment is arguably an important day in Bentley’s fashionable historical past and is a testomony to the arduous work and ability of our colleagues in Crewe. The journey actually does begin now,” Bentley Motors board member for manufacturing Peter Bosch mentioned.
“We’re already marking the head in luxury-car manufacturing and have already remodeled our manufacturing unit to grow to be carbon impartial, with industry-leading environmental credentials.
“Distinctive craftsmanship, buyer interplay and worker expertise shall be enhanced by digital tech, greater flexibility and new methods of personalisation. We’ll develop the perfect of Crewe into the longer term benchmark of luxurious automobile manufacturing,” he concluded.
