Why Bentley is Planning to Cut 6% of its Workforce

Bentley has announced plans to cut up to 275 jobs – translating to around 6% of its workforce – to help the business remain competitive. 

This follows news that Volkswagen, Bentley’s parent company, plans to cut 50,000 jobs across the entire group by 2030. 

Frank-Steffen Walliser, CEO of Bentley, said in a call with reporters shared by Bloomberg that the industry is “in every aspect under pressure.”

He continued: “These are the times when you look at your cost structure and your efficiency.”

According to Bentley, these cuts will impact office roles, rather than its manufacturing employees. 

Facing a challenging global market

Bentley shared that it had faced a “challenging global market environment” in 2025 in the sharing of its full year results, which it said was due to “a number of external and non-recurring factors”. 

Customer deliveries decreased by 5%, which was driven by continued market contraction – particularly in China. 

Additional pressure from US tariffs also played a role in the company’s operating profit – which dropped by 42% when compared to 2024 – says Bentley. 

Frank-Steffen says: “I want to express my sincere appreciation to those affected - we are committed to supporting each individual with care, guidance and assistance throughout this transition.”

Moving towards electrification

Bentley currently employs around 4,000 people, primarily at its Crewe factory. 

In 2022, the company invested £2.5bn (US$3.3bn) at this plant as part of a wider shift towards electrification. 

Frank-Steffen said: “We are investing at unprecedented levels in the Pyms Lane site, including the Design Centre, opened in July last year, the near completion of the A1 building for BEV production, and the upcoming opening of the new Paint Shop later this year.

“At the same time, we are making some difficult decisions to ensure the long-term competitiveness of the business.”

It has also made investments in professional development opportunities to upskill its workforce and prepare for a shift towards EVs. 

In 2025, the company developed an apprenticeship programme in partnership with the City of Wolverhampton college to give staff the latest training on producing electric cars and maintaining electric systems. 

The company previously had plans to be fully electric by 2035, but has said it may extend this target to “maintain powertrain flexibility in line with customer demand across its global markets”. 

Workforce restructuring in the Volkswagen Group

Bentley’s parent company Volkswagen has also announced widespread job cuts following the lowest operating profits the company has seen since 2016.

The company has said it will cut 50,000 roles by 2030 across its German operations, with lower profits attributed to tariff increasing and rising Chinese competitiveness – conditions Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume described as “operating in a fundamentally different environment.”

Similarly to Bentley, Volkswagen subsidiary Porsche has rolled back its EV targets – which previously stood at a goal to have 80% fully electric vehicles by 2030 – due to lower than expected demand. 

Volkswagen has been cautious in its predictions for 2026, suggesting that its profit margin across the group could be between 4% and 4.5% – which could be below its 2025 profit margin.