Volkswagen’s Bentley Motors said production of the recently launched updated Bentayga luxury SUV had started at its ‘carbon neutral’ factory in Crewe, England with revised social distancing measures.
Deliveries will commence soon, starting with Europe.
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This followed “a comprehensive review of the social distancing measures in place that now allows Bentley production output to increase from 50% to 100%”, the automaker said in a statement.
A small number of assembly areas have been redesigned to implement a revised takt time “whilst enabling a controlled, safe working environment at a social distance of more than one metre”, Bentley added.
“All other areas will maintain a strict social distance of two metres and mandatory facemasks will remain throughout the factory.”
As ramp up begins, the new Bentayga is reaching unprecedented levels of production quality, the automaker claimed.
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By GlobalDataAround 100 staff work on the socially-distanced Bentayga assembly line as the car progresses through 43 process stages.
Manufacturing chief Peter Bosch said: “The new Bentayga is a celebration of all that we can do in Crewe and is a testament to the skill, passion and dedication of all of our colleagues who produce cars unmatched by any other car factory in the world.
“To deliver a sector defining car that meets our own and customers incredibly high standards and expectations is a significant achievement, particularly at this early stage of production.
“In the lead up to manufacture commencing we reviewed each individual process to ensure its efficiency and effectiveness, implementing industry leading lean techniques with social distancing measures included.
“What we are seeing at start of production is a car that is significantly revised, both inside and out, and yet reaching record quality in manufacture levels across the industry.”
The changes to build process allowed more lean manufacturing principles to be adopted.
About 1,500 manufacturing workers have undertaken education programmes in lean principles maximising value to customers while reducing waste in manufacture.
Changes include improved ergonomics, safer processes and reduced walking and waiting times due to repositioning and movement of parts.
Bentley said the updated Bentayga, the first car launched under its Beyond100 business plan, was “set to build on the success of its predecessor which sold more than 20,000 cars”.
The exterior is restyled and interior revised for the latest model.
Among major changes are a new centre fascia and steering wheel, new door trims and new seats – now available with ventilation in the rear of the five-seat cabin option (four seats is an alternative).
Rear passengers now have significantly more space with legroom increased by up to 100mm (4″) depending on configuration.
A new infotainment system has a 10.9-inch display screen with edge to edge graphics.
The latest hardware and software bring new navigation with satellite maps, online search and other features.
Wireless Apple CarPlay is standard for the first time, alongside the existing wired system, along with Android Auto, according to market.
Rear seat occupants get a new, larger touchscreen remote control tablet, similar to that introduced in the Flying Spur.
Connectivity has been significantly improved, with USB-C data ports and a wireless phone charger now standard.
The model now has an embedded SIM so the My Bentley connected car features no longer require customers to provide their own data connection.
My Bentley in car and remote is a continually developing range of services available through a dedicated app, available for both Apple iOS and Android.
Dark tint diamond brushed aluminium is an interior trim option for the first time in a Bentley, as well as two straight-grained veneers new to the Bentayga: Koa and Crown Cut Walnut. Mulliner Driving Specification adds a new quilting design, and micro piping detailing is a new option for the seats.
The new model will initially be launched with the V8 petrol engine with plug in hybrid and W12 petrol powered Speed versions to follow later in 2020.
The V8’s four litre, twin turbocharger engine develops 542bhp (550PS) and 568 lb ft (770Nm) of torque.
