Where Are Bentleys Made And Who Owns The Company Today?

Bentley has always carried a certain mystique for luxury, speed, and that unmistakable British charm. But for all the prestige and history tied to the name, there's still some confusion about where these high-end cars actually come from and who's calling the shots behind the scenes today.

Most Bentleys are built in Crewe, England, where the company's main factory has been producing high-end cars for decades. While the heart of production is firmly in the UK, some body shells and components come from other places within the Volkswagen Group, like Zwickau in Germany, which supplies the bodies for the Bentayga SUV.

When it comes to ownership, Bentley has been under the Volkswagen Group banner since 1998, and is only one of the six car brands the company owns. In 2021, Audi, another VW brand, took over Bentley's management and moved it to the Brand Group Progressive a year later. That means Audi oversees Bentley alongside brands like Lamborghini and Ducati, while VW remains the parent company at the top level. This shift aligns Bentley directly with Audi's electrification and luxury strategy, giving it access to shared platforms and engineering know-how as it transitions toward a fully electric lineup. 

Race car driver Walter Owen Bentley founded Bentley Motors in 1919 with the goal of producing a fast and reliable car. Early models like the Bentley 3 Litre helped achieve that goal by gaining recognition in motorsport, thus establishing the brand's reputation. Over the years, Bentley continued to produce high-performance vehicles, marking key milestones in automotive history.

But Bentley Motors wasn't content to look back, as the company announced its Beyond100 strategy in 2020. With this new initiative, Bentley intends to become fully carbon-neutral across its entire lineup, with factory operations not just neutral, but climate friendly as well. Part of that plan includes a phased shift in powertrains, with only plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles eventually being offered, followed by a complete transition to EVs later.

In 2024, Bentley expanded its Beyond100 strategy into Beyond100+, extending its plan to produce only fully electric vehicles by 2035. As part of this updated strategy, the company put its high-end rivals on notice with the Luxury Urban SUV,  which it plans to release in 2026. That model will be followed by annual plug-in hybrid or battery-electric releases. Currently, Bentley offers the Continental GT coupe, Convertible, and Flying Spur exclusively with an Ultra Performance plug-in V8 hybrid powertrain, marking the phase-out of the W12 engine. Bentley is also investing heavily in its Crewe, England, headquarters, transforming the site into a modern facility designed for electric vehicle production.