Bentley Motors has announced that it is to invest £40 million in a new R&D centre at its Crewe headquarters, creating over 300 jobs.

The move was welcomed by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, who visited the company on the day of the announcement. The new 45,000m² centre will include a dedicated styling studio, a technical workshop and a number of offices.

In the past 18 months, Bentley has created more than 950 jobs — and achieved record sales. Furthermore, last year the company produced more cars than ever before — 10,120;
it also expects to exceed that figure in 2014. Bentley has also committed to an £840 million investment in product and facility development over the next three years.

The company, part of the Volkswagen Group, exports around 90% of its output and is preparing for the launch of its first SUV next year.

CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer said: “With Bentley’s new R&D centre, we will develop a new generation of vehicles, which will continue our commitment to luxury, performance, quality and engineering excellence. Bentley is the number-one luxury car manufacturer in the world, and driving more investment into our headquarters and attracting talent is key to continuing our success.”

Mr Osborne said: “Bentley is an iconic British brand that exports around the world. Their decision to create another 300 jobs in R&D is fantastic news for Crewe and for Britain. These highly skilled jobs in this export industry are exactly the kind of opportunities we want to see created, which is why, in my Autumn Statement, I provided further incentives for R&D in the UK.

“The investment will not only create jobs at Bentley, but support many more through suppliers across the UK. I want Britain to be a country where companies want to invest and create jobs, as Bentley is doing today.”