Bentley to make their first fully electric car in Crewe factory
Sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans will be banned from 2030
Luxury carmaker Bentley has announced its first pure electric vehicle will be built at its Crewe factory.
The battery-powered electric vehicle (BEV) is scheduled to roll off the production line in three years.
The Volkswagen-owned company said it is investing £2.5 billion in "sustainability" over the next 10 years.
This will involve the "complete transformation" of its Crewe plant to build electric cars.
The firm's Beyond100 strategy to make exclusively electric vehicles and become carbon neutral by 2030 was unveiled in 2020.
The company, which dates back to 1919, has not revealed any details over its first BEV model.
Chief executive Adrian Hallmark described securing production of the vehicle in Crewe as "a milestone moment for Bentley and the UK".
It will enable a "long-term sustainable future" in the Cheshire town, he said.
Mr Hallmark went on: "Beyond100 is the boldest plan in Bentley's illustrious history, and in the luxury segment.
"It's an ambitious and credible road map to carbon neutrality of our total business system, including the shift to 100% BEV in just eight years.
"Our aim is to become the benchmark not just for luxury cars or sustainable credentials but the entire scope of our operations."
Peter Bosch, Board Member for Manufacturing at Bentley Motors, added: “Today is arguably the most important day in Bentley’s modern history, and is a testament to the hard work and skill of our colleagues in Crewe."
Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show plug-in vehicles accounted for more than one in six new cars registered in the UK last year.
Sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans will be banned from 2030.