Car manufacturing companies have played a significant part in the UK’s recovery, with firms such as Jaguar Land Rover and Vauxhall investing heavily in their facilities. Now, luxury brand Bentley has announced it will invest further in its Crewe headquarters, constructing a new research and development centre set to create around 300 jobs.
The company will channel £40 million worth of funding for the project, which it believes will allow it to become more competitive both in the UK and also in growing economies in the Far East. It already exports around 90 per cent of all vehicles manufactured in the UK – a fact which allowed it to deliver 10,120 cars last year and potentially even more by the 31st of December this year.
Chairman and chief executive of Bentley Motors, Wolfgang Dürheimer, explained the reasons for the firm’s decision to invest further in Crewe.
He said; “With Bentley’s new research and development centre, we will develop a new generation of Bentleys which will continue our commitment of 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.”
The research and development centre will see the creation of a dedicated styling studio, a technical workshop and numerous research and development offices, all contained within upwards of 45,000 square metres worth of space. Upon completion, it will house 1,300 engineers, all of whom will work towards creating an ultra-luxury SUV to enter the market in 2016.
Development of the new property is expected to begin early next year, with further announcements regarding investment at the site to be unveiled around that time. Along with this substantial investment, Bentley has committed to channelling funding worth £800 million into its product and facility development operations over the next three years, meaning that the standing committed investment total now stands at £840 million.
Chancellor George Osborne visited Bentley’s Crewe headquarters earlier this week and spoke of his delight at the announcement.
He said; “Bentley is an iconic British brand that exports around the world: their decision to create another 300 jobs in research and development on a new site providing close to 1,000 new jobs 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 yesterday’s Autumn Statement I provided further incentives for research and development in the UK.
“The investment will not only create jobs at Bentley, but will support many more through suppliers across the UK – I want Britain to be a country where companies want to invest and create jobs.”
Bentley currently employs around 4,000 people at its Crewe headquarters and, including the latest 300 roles, has created more than 950 positions at the site in the past 18 months.
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