British luxury carmaker Bentley announced on Wednesday that it will cease production of its iconic 12-cylinder petrol engine in April 2024, as part of the electrification of its range.
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When production stops, “more than 100,000 examples of the iconic W12 will have been handcrafted” in the brand’s factory in Crewe, west of England, since its launch in 2003, the company said in a statement.
The automaker has set a target of seeing the first fully electric cars roll out of its UK factory in 2025 and has pledged to purge its catalog of combustion models by 2030.
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Bentley plans to upgrade its historic Crewe site to make it “a benchmark in luxury car manufacturing” for sustainability.
The company employs 4,000 people on this site, which concentrates all of its activities, from design to production, including research and development and engineering.
Bentley, which is part of the Volkswagen group, had, like other luxury car brands, a record year in 2022 with 15,174 cars sold, 4% more than the previous year, which had already seen a level of historical output.