Bentley also committed to investing 2.5 billion pounds ($3.4 billion) in sustainability over the next decade.

The carmaker said it would reconfigure its UK plant in Crewe to build the new vehicle. It did not provide further details on what form its first fully-electric vehicle will take.

Across the auto industry, major manufacturers have been rolling out plans to electrify their car ranges, with looming fossil-fuel car bans spurring them on to make huge investments in the new technology.

Earlier this month, Bentley said it had cruised to a record year in 2021 as global sales jumped 31% amid strong demand for high-end vehicles.

($1 = 0.7426 pounds)

(Reporting by Nick Carey; Editing by Mark Potter)

By Nick Carey