A Bentley Bentayga Hybrid is the marque's 200,000th vehicle

MANILA: Bentley Motors reached a production milestone as it rolled out its 200,000^th luxury car in the company’s 101 years of history in the automotive industry.

The milestone unit, a Bentayga Hybrid, was built in the home of Bentley in Crewe, England. The unit was purchased by a Chinese customer. The milestone is even more remarkable as the Bentayga Hybrid unit is the latest in 155,582 vehicles built at Crewe since 2003. Today, Bentley produces 85 cars per day, which is equal to its total output per month two decades ago.

From 1919 to 2002, Bentley had built a total of 44,418 luxury cars—38,933 of them were manufactured in Crewe. These included the most iconic Bentley models including the Bentley Blower, the R-Type Continental, Mulsanne, Arnage, and Azure. According to records, 84% of the cars produced for the UK market are still being driven up to this day.

The Crewe factory has also paved the way for the success of the Bentley Continental GT. The 80,000^th made-to-order Continental GT unit was built last January.

In a statement, Bentley Chairman and Chief Executive Adrian Hallmark said, “This production of the 200,000^th car is just the latest landmark in the extraordinary journey that Bentley has been traveling since its foundation in 1919. In 2003, the introduction of the Continental GT represented a transformative moment for the brand, and this Bentley alone has represented 80,000 in sales of our total 200,000, and created both a new segment, and a contemporary image foundation for the Bentley business.”

“The pace of progress has accelerated significantly since 2003 and we are now entering the next period of transformation as we pursue our Beyond100 strategy, with the aim of positioning Bentley as the global leader in sustainable luxury mobility,” Hallmark added.

To celebrate the manufacturing milestone, the Bentayga Hybrid stood alongside the oldest surviving Bentley, the EXP 2. The two units were joined by Bentley’s longest-serving colleagues including Steve Ward, who joined the company in 1977. Ward is a whole vehicle analysis engineer for Bentley. Since 1980, he has contributed in every Bentley model and witnessed their transformation to keep up with the modern times.

Last March 23, Bentley also unveiled the new Continental GT. The latest generation of the high-speed luxury vehicle comes with various upgraded comfort features and ultra-powerful performance.

The Continental GT and Bentayga both provide a genuine Bentley driving experience and exceptional luxury. The Bentayga was introduced in 2015, when it became one of the pioneer luxury sports utility vehicle (SUV) models. According to Bentley Motors, Bentayga has the potential to exceed the total of the Continental GT within 10 years and become the best-selling Bentley model in history.

Another remarkable Bentley model is the Flying Spur, which was launched in 2005. The company has produced 40,000 examples of this model. The Flying Spur is considered as the most successful luxury sports sedan in the world.

In November 2020, Bentley Motors revealed its Beyond100 strategy that targets to make the company any end-to-end carbon neutral by 2030. Bentley also aims to adapt full electrification, producing only plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) by 2026, then converting the entire model range to BEV by 2030.

Photos from Bentley Motors

Also read: Bentley targets rare-earth magnet recycling for sustainable e-motors