Bentley Motors has taken the next step on its journey to become fully electric and the world’s most sustainable luxury automotive manufacturer with a groundbreaking ceremony for a new paint shop in Crewe. This investment transforms an 85-year-old site for a new age of electrification and confirms Bentley’s commitment to Crewe.

The new facility at Bentley’s carbon-neutral headquarters will be integral to the brand’s preparations for future battery-powered electric vehicle (EV) production and to set a new benchmark in next-generation, digital, flexible and high-value manufacturing operations. To mark the occasion, Andreas Lehe, Bentley’s board member for manufacturing, and Jan-Henrik Lafrentz, Bentley’s board member for finance and IT, officially started the construction.

The new 12,460m² paint shop will be completed in 2025 and will offer an expanded paint colour choice of near 100 individual colours to customers, uniquely celebrated as part of the exterior building design. Additionally, there will be a four-storey office building which in total will be home to more than 370 Bentley staff. It will form part of a £2.5 billion investment programme in future products at the Pyms Lane factory in Crewe where all Bentley models are hand-crafted.

Mr Lehe said: “Breaking ground on this new ‘state of the art’ building is a milestone moment and supports our aim for a benchmark position in new innovative technologies, skills and facilities to enable a truly digital, highly flexible benchmark for luxury car manufacturing. While also modernising our site, it is a clear demonstration of our ambition and long-term commitment to Crewe as we transform Bentley into the leader of sustainable luxury mobility.”

Bentley’s industry-leading Beyond100 strategy will see the company reinvent its entire product range to support an electrified future, while achieving end-to-end carbon-neutral status by 2030. The company’s digital manufacturing facility will introduce a ‘go-to-zero’ approach on the environmental impacts of manufacturing and lead the luxury car industry in next-generation digital applications.