Driving Innovation: Lessons from Bentley’s Success Story

Bentley Motors’ innovation strategy focuses on meeting the needs and desires of its customers. Bentley conducts extensive research and analysis to better understand its customers to identify emerging trends, customer preferences, and new technologies.

Bentley’s product development team works closely with its marketing and sales teams to ensure that the company is always developing cars that meet the needs of its customers. Bentley’s Beyond100 strategy extends two decades of forward-thinking, innovation, and achievement. The strategy focuses on transforming Bentley into a sustainable luxury car brand.

Bentley aims to become a global leader in sustainable luxury mobility by investing £2.5 billion to transform its entire product portfolio into a next-generation, digital, flexible, and high-value manufacturing facility. Bentley’s Beyond100 strategy includes large investments in EV production, a “Dream Factory” revamp in the UK, and carbon neutrality by 2030. Bentley is also working on becoming a wholly ethical role model for the luxury car industry.

Bentley’s commitment to sustainability is not new. In 2019, the Bentley site in Crewe was certified carbon neutral to PAS 2060 by the Carbon Trust. Bentley has transformed its 80-year-old headquarters into the UK’s single carbon-neutral luxury.

Bentley is also working with local schools and colleges to develop local talent in South Cheshire, building even closer links with the Crewe Engineering & Design UTC, of which Bentley is a founding partner. Bentley’s Beyond100 strategy includes becoming the employer of choice for top talent, including digital innovators and creative thinkers.

Combining tradition and innovation

Bentley’s innovation strategy involves combining tradition and innovation to create cars that are both timeless and cutting-edge. Bentley’s design team works to create cars that combine traditional design elements with modern technology.

For example, the company’s new Flying Spur model features a traditional wood veneer dashboard combined with a state-of-the-art touchscreen infotainment system. Bentley’s EXP 100 GT concept car showcases how far-reaching technology can be combined with fresh approaches to traditional methods. Bentley collaborated with the century-old Scottish leather manufacturer Bridge of Weir to develop a new metallic, more sustainable, and enduring form of luxury.

Bentley’s innovation strategy also involves sustainable innovation, which integrates recycled and repurposed materials and traditional techniques and processes into the design. Bentley is creating a future driven by new technologies, materials, and sustainable practices. The company’s site in Crewe was certified carbon neutral in 2019, a project that Bentley has been working on for more than two decades. Bentley Home, the company’s furniture and home decor line, uses innovative, sustainable materials that push the world of design forward in elegant, contemporary shapes with a lightness of form.

Bentley’s innovation strategy is part of its strategic plan to meet the moment once again in today’s innovation economy. As a preeminent business university, Bentley will be a knowledge-producing, engagement-based institution that develops learners for an innovation economy and empowers its community and stakeholders to address the challenges of tomorrow. Bentley must meaningfully grow its revenue and available resources by positioning and partnerships. Customers look to Bentley because they know the desire for innovation is there, but Bentley wants to combine the traditional with the technology to create cars that appeal to a wide range of customers.

Investing in research and development

Bentley’s innovation strategy includes investing in research and development to stay at the forefront of technology and design. The company’s dedicated research and development team works to identify new technologies and design concepts that can be incorporated into its cars.

Bentley’s investment in research and development has allowed the company to introduce several groundbreaking technologies over the years, such as the first 12-cylinder engine in a luxury car, active anti-roll bars, and adaptive air suspension.

Bentley’s commitment to innovation is also evident in its Beyond 100 strategy, which aims to offer a sustainable, luxury future of mobility. The company is creating a future driven by new technologies, materials, fuels, and skills, in pursuit of a progressive, new world. Bentley’s commitment to innovation extends beyond its products to its operations.

The company invests in infrastructure software like the Bentley iTwin platform to optimize building performance and generate energy savings. Additionally, Bentley invests in staff training and development, including apprenticeships, which have been part of the company’s culture for many years. Investing in staff training and development is core to Bentley’s success, and the company has continued to invest in them despite economic downturns.

Collaboration with partners

Bentley has established partnerships with a wide range of companies to bring new technologies and design concepts to its cars. By collaborating with partners, Bentley is able to bring together the best of both worlds – its own expertise in luxury car design and its partners’ expertise in other areas, such as technology and sound systems.

This allows Bentley to create cars that offer unparalleled levels of luxury and performance. For example, Bentley has worked with Swiss watchmaker Breitling to create a custom-designed clock for its cars, and it has partnered with Naim Audio to create high-end sound systems for its cars.

Bentley has also partnered with Engineers Without Borders International to drive more collaboration and cooperation within the infrastructure industry. Bentley Systems has stepped forward to join Engineers Without Borders International in delivering a vision with five years of core funding and executive insights, fundamentally strengthening the capacity of Engineers Without Borders International. Bentley Systems promotes the same values as Engineers Without Borders International, and the partnership will advance infrastructure together.

Bentley has also partnered with The Macallan to form a global partnership focused on sustainability. The Macallan and Bentley form a global partnership focused on sustainability, with expertise in carbon neutrality, sustainable materials, and sourcing. The partnership will strengthen their abilities to innovate on collaborative design projects and further their sustainability efforts. Bentley Motors has made strides toward innovating materials that bolster the brand’s sustainability efforts, and The Macallan has a longstanding and deep mastery of their respective fields.

Sustainability as a driving force

Bentley has made sustainability a driving force in its innovation strategy. The company is committed to reducing its environmental impact and has taken several steps to become more sustainable. Bentley has introduced a hybrid powertrain in its Bentayga SUV model, which reduces CO2 emissions by up to 75%.

The company is also investing in renewable energy and has installed solar panels at its factory in Crewe, England. Bentley aims to be end-to-end carbon neutral by 2030, with the Crewe factory climate positive thereafter. All models will be fully electric by 2030, as the company moves towards emission-free vehicles.

Bentley has been at the forefront of reducing the environmental impact of its site for over 20 years. In 1999, Bentley became the first automotive site certified to ISO 14001 environmental management standard and in 2011, the Pyms Lane site was the first automotive site to achieve the ISO 50001 energy management standard.

Bentley’s focus on energy and environmental management helped secure the company’s key landmark of becoming certified to PAS 2060 carbon neutral standard by the Carbon Trust in October 2019. Bentley’s culture of sustainability is reflected in its operations, products, and services, empowering users to design, build, and operate more sustainable, resilient infrastructure. The company is committed to effective governance and accountability in operating a secure, ethical company.

By making sustainability a driving force in its innovation strategy, Bentley is helping the environment and appealing to customers who are increasingly concerned about sustainability. Bentley’s commitment to sustainability is reflected in its mission to mobilize sustainability leadership in business by modelling sustainable operations, supporting sustainability teaching in the classroom, and partnering with the business community to expand career opportunities in sustainability.

Bentley’s sustainability efforts are not simply actions of a small group of administrators but the accomplishments of the entire community, with collaboration and enthusiasm among students, faculty, and staff alike.

Building a strong brand

Bentley has successfully built a strong brand that is synonymous with luxury, performance, and sophistication. The company has created a unique identity through its design, craftsmanship, and innovation, allowing it to differentiate itself from its competitors and appeal to a specific segment of customers who value luxury and performance.

Bentley’s marketing strategy is about targeting customers and finding out where they are, what they do, and how they spend their time. The company has a range of events tailored to existing and potential clients, which turn vehicle ownership into a proper experience. Bentley has also created a sense of exclusivity around its brand, which has helped to maintain its premium pricing and brand image.

In recent years, Bentley has focused on becoming a sustainable luxury car brand. The company has invested £2.5 billion in a sustainable investment to transform its entire product portfolio into a next-generation, digital, flexible, and high-value manufacturing facility. Bentley plans to become an end-to-end carbon-neutral luxury car brand by 2030, which will be underpinned by a structured, business-wide sustainability strategy.

The company’s aim is to reinvent every aspect of its business to become an end-to-end carbon-neutral organization. Bentley’s sustainability values have emerged to become critical to the brand and its customers, becoming a fundamental part of its Beyond 100 strategy. The company is focused on attracting diverse candidates and is targeting a management population of 30% by 2025 that is truly diverse.

In conclusion, there are several lessons we can learn from Bentley’s innovation strategy. By focusing on customer needs, combining tradition and innovation, investing in research and development, collaborating with partners, making sustainability a driving force, and building a strong brand, Bentley has been able to maintain its position as a leading luxury car manufacturer for over a century. These lessons can be applied in other industries to help companies achieve long-term success through innovation and differentiation.