Bentley has something to celebrate. In fact, Crewe recently passed the mark of 200,000 cars produced since the brand’s inception in 1919. However, the lion’s share of that number has been produced in the past two decades. For Bentley, this milestone comes as the brand is moving towards a fully electric future.
The 200,000th Bentley is a light blue Bentayga Hybrid, which the brand says is destined for a Chinese customer. The Bentayga Hybrid is by the way Bentley’s first and only plug-in hybrid. Later there will be more, from 2026 the brand only wants to have plug-in hybrids and EVs in the model range. In 2030, Bentley must even be fully electric. The introduction of the Continental GT Speed ​​and GT Speed ​​Convertible proves that it is not yet that far yet. Both still have a thick 6.0 W12 without electrical assistance under the hood.
Since the takeover by Volkswagen, Bentley has grown quite rapidly. The Continental GT continued to grow and later the Flying Spur and the Bentayga helped further. Since 2003, 155,582 cars have rolled off the production line in Crewe, compared to only 44,418 in the previous 84 years, of which 38,933 at the Crewe plant. The current daily production is 85 cars. Of course that does something to the exclusivity of the brand, but the fact is that things are better than ever at Bentley. Last year, the luxury brand even set a sales record amid the corona crisis. As mentioned, Bentley will face a major turnaround in the coming years, for which designer Andreas Mindt has been removed from Audi. Time will tell how that will affect the success of the brand.