Bentley was founded in 1919 and later acquired by Rolls-Royce following the 1929 stock market crash. In 1998, Vickers put the brands up for sale. Volkswagen secured Bentley for £430 million, outbidding BMW. The companies eventually agreed to split the assets: BMW took Rolls-Royce, while Volkswagen retained the Bentley factory in Crewe, England.
While Bentley maintains its production base in Crewe, the company has historically utilized German facilities to meet demand. For instance, a small number of Flying Spur models were produced at the Volkswagen factory in Dresden, Germany, following high demand in 2005 and 2013. Today, Bentley components, including body shells and engines, are sourced from mainland Europe.
The brand currently shares vehicle platforms with Porsche models, such as the Cayenne and Panamera. Since 2021, Bentley has operated under Audi's control as part of the Volkswagen Group's Progressive division. The company recently invested £350 million in its Crewe facility to upgrade its paint shop, engineering center, and establish a production line for its first electric vehicle.
