News

Bentley’s Design Team, under the leadership of Director of Design, Stefan Sielaff, has collected the ‘Team of the Year’ award at the prestigious Automotive Brand Contest, hosted by the German Design Council.

The judging panel praised the team’s ‘passion, expertise and joy’ in creating outstanding models, and noted how Bentley’s design approach is successfully future-proofing the luxury brand.

Speaking at the ceremony in Paris’ Maison de Polytechniciens, Stefan Sielaff said:

“This award recognises the continuing passion, attention to detail and craftsmanship that our luxury customers appreciate. I passionately believe that personalisation and authentic materials – which are already fundamental elements of Bentley’s appeal – will be the keys to success in the luxury car market of the future, so to be recognized here is a very promising sign.”

Sielaff was joined in Paris by Rolf Frech, Bentley’s Board Member for Engineering; Romulus Rost, Head of Interior Design, Colour and Trim; J.P. Gregory, Head of Exterior Design; Head of Modelling and Design Operations, Kevin Baker; Jeffrey King, Head of Advanced Surfacing and Luis Santos, Head of Design Projects.

Bentley also picked up two other significant Automotive Brand Contest awards for the new Bentayga: ‘Best of the Best’ in the Interior category and overall winner in the Exterior Premium Brand category.

Andrej Kupetz, CEO of the German Design Council, said:

“Under the design leadership of Stefan Sielaff, Bentley is transforming into a luxury brand for the future. With their specific skills in designing every facet of a luxury car, the team’s achievements are impressive in every respect. In every Bentley, every new model series, every concept car, the observer can sense the passion, expertise and joy with which the designers are plying their trade.”

Commenting on the two prizes awarded specifically to the Bentayga, Kueptz added:

“With the Bentayga’s interior, Bentley has transformed its design history and specific details of the brand into an entirely new vehicle configuration. What has been created is a perfect, British luxury interior.”

Congratulations team! It’s fantastic to be recognised in this way.

14 April 2016

Bentley Motors has teamed up with the godfather of British pop art, Sir Peter Blake, to create a one-of-a-kind Bentley Continental GT V8 S Convertible. This unique car will be auctioned for charity by Bonhams at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on 24 June.

Bentley commissioned Sir Peter to deliver the world’s first pop art Bentley, drawing on inspiration from the acclaimed artist’s celebrated career at the forefront of the famous British pop art movement. Bentley has donated the car to the Care2Save Charitable Trust, which provides palliative and hospice care around the world.

Commenting on this individual commission and the Charitable Trust, Kevin Rose, Bentley’s Member of the Board for Sales, Marketing and Aftersales, says:

“Sir Peter has designed a strikingly colourful car, encapsulating exactly why he is thought of as one of Britain’s leading artists. It was a fascinating project to be part of, particularly for the skilled artisans in our bespoke Mulliner division, who worked closely with Sir Peter to bring this design to life. We have proudly supported the Care2Save Charitable Trust and the hospice movement for more than 25 years and so take great delight from donating this inimitable car for such a worthwhile cause.”

Sir Peter Blake, perhaps best known for designing the sleeve for The Beatles iconic Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, comments:

“I am proud to have been involved with transforming this beautiful car, and have enormous admiration for the people at Bentley who brought my design into being, to produce this one-off lovely car.”

The Bentley By Me campaign launched earlier this year, allows people the opportunity to donate any amount from £1 to help transform hospice and palliative care around the world, with the opportunity to win a Bentley.

Using the money raised from the Bentley by Me and Bentley By Blake campaigns, The Care2Save Charitable Trust will work with organisations and charities in other countries to educate and empower them to build their own sustainable and affordable hospice and palliative care models.

More information on the Bentley By Me campaign can be found at www.care2save.co.uk/bentley

The very first Bentley Bentayga rolled off the production line in Crewe today, in what has been a very exciting day here at the factory, marking the culmination of 4 years hard work by everyone involved. This also marks the first time that Bentley has had 3 product lines available for sale. The other two being the Continental and Mulsanne ranges.

This has been one of the biggest investment programmes in the company’s history and is a massive success story for the factory in Crewe and for the local economy. The first Bentayga’s will be available for customers in early January.

Bentley Chairman and CEO, Wolfgang Dürheimer, commented today:

“Bentley Bentayga will be the benchmark against which all other SUVs are measured, defining a new segment – the luxury SUV.”

“This car is a celebration of UK manufacturing at its very best, not only reinforcing our commitment to industry in this country, job creation and significant investment, but to our home in Crewe. This is an important moment in our history, where we reflect and celebrate, but also look ahead to delivering this extraordinary car to our customers.”

Even after all this time working in the industry, it never fails to be exciting to see a new car launched that you have been so involved in. And what a special and historic car this is.