Bentley May Build SUV in Slovakia

Volkswagen AG's Bentley Motor Group tells reporters it will decide "very soon" whether to launch production of the brand's first SUV at its headquarters in Crewe, England, or in Bratislava, Slovakia.

The ultra-luxury crossover is expected to go into production in about 2015 with targeted annual output of 3,000-4,000 units. Last year the company estimated the new model would sell for at least $210,000.

Wolfgang Schreiber, who took over as Bentley's CEO last summer, says the company's options for production location pit Crewe's craftsmanship skills against Bratislava's economies of scale.

The Slovakian site is a VW plant that already makes the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg crossovers. They share the platform that will carry the Bentley model. If the vehicle is assembled in Bratislava, it will use handmade interior components from Crewe, according to Schreiber.

The look of the new Bentley will be "completely different" from the EXP 9 F concept the company presented at the Geneva auto show last year, Schreiber adds. That vehicle's design was widely panned by critics.

Bentley, which sold about 8,500 cars worldwide last year, hopes to reach annual volume of 15,000 units by 2018. The company predicts half its SUV sales will be in China and the U.S.