Bentley Confirms Luxury Crossover for 2016

Volkswagen AG's Bentley Motors Group is preparing its car factory in Crewe, England, to begin making ultra-luxury crossover vehicles three years from now.

The long-rumored model is expected to sell for at least $230,800. Bentley vows the unnamed vehicle will become the market's most luxurious and powerful of its kind.

The Crewe facility, which currently employs about 4,000 people, has been hand-building Bentley cars for 67 years. The crossover vehicle program part of a three-year, $1.2 billion investment in new models and the unit's headquarters at Crewe will add about 400 new jobs.

VW selected the British plant over a facility in Bratislava, Slovakia, that assembles Audi, Porsche and VW crossovers. The company said earlier the choice would be between Crewe's craftsmanship and Bratislava's economies of scale.

Bentley has said the new model will not resemble the poorly received EXP 9 F concept it unveiled last year at the Geneva auto show. The company reportedly is considering a twin-turbocharged V-8 engine for the vehicle and is expected to offer diesel and plug-in hybrid powertrain options.

Bentley sells about 9,000 cars per year worldwide. It predicts the new model will boost annual volume by about 3,000 units. The company said previously that it hopes to reach annual sales of 15,000 units by 2018, led by the American and Chinese markets.