If you work for Bentley Motors in its United States corporate offices, here’s some free advice: you may want to consider renting a house instead of buying one, given the luxury automaker’s recent history of relocation.
In 2008, Bentley moved its North American corporate headquarters from Detroit, Michigan to Boston, Massachusetts, in an effort to “ensure long-term viability and success in North America.” Bentley’s exodus from Detroit followed that of parent company Volkswagen, which left the Motor City in favor of Herndon, Virginia.
Now comes word from Bentley that its corporate headquarters are again being relocated, this time from Boston to Herndon (a suburb of Washington, D.C.), where it will share office space with the Volkswagen Group of America.
Per Christophe Georges, president & COO for Bentley Motors, “...the relocation will allow Bentley to focus our resources on our brand and to take further advantage of synergies with the Volkswagen Group here in the U.S..”
In other words, consolidating office space will save the Volkswagen Group a boatload of money each year, reducing both real estate and travel expenses, while likely slashing payroll costs, too. Bentley joins other Volkswagen Group companies already headquartered in Herndon, such as Audi, Volkswagen and Lamborghini.
Bentley expects the move to be completed by year end, which means it’s been in the planning stages for quite some time. It also makes us wonder how much longer motorcycle manufacturer Ducati (another Volkswagen Group company) will be headquartered in Cupertino, California.
As for Volkswagen Group member Porsche, though, it's not moving to Virginia any time soon. In fact, plans are in the works for an expansion of its U.S. corporate headquarters in Atlanta, with groundbreaking planned for later this year.