Bentley Motors has firmly strengthened its position as the biggest producer of 12 cylinder powerplants of the world. It has been announced that Crewe headquarters of Bentley will become the Centre of Excellence for Volkswagen Group for all W12 engine production from the end of 2014 onwards. With this decision, the automaker will be exporting powertrains for the first time in its history, creating around 100 jobs across the business. Dr. Wolfgang Schreiber, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Bentley Motors, said: “This is an important step, not just for us but also for the United Kingdom manufacturing sector. This W12 Centre of Excellence is recognition of long standing engine manufacturing expertise we have that has resulted in performance enhancements across the model ranges over recent years. The production of this advanced engine and its future generations will bring new skills and technologies to Crewe.”
Vince Cable, UK Business Secretary said: Our world beating car industry employs 142,000 people in United Kingdom and is worth £11.2 billion to our economy. With more than 4 out of every 5 vehicles designed and engineered in United Kingdom exported to the rest of the world, the news that Bentley Motors will now export powerplants as well is another feather in their cap. The Industrial Strategy of the Government is supporting world class organizations like Bentley for promoting exports and creating highly skilled long term jobs. The W12 engine is a sophisticated high performance 12-cylinder engine in a distinctive ‘W’ configuration and provides high levels of torque and power. Bentley expects to produce up to 9000 engines per year at peak times.
