Bentley Motors today confirms that it will proceed with the development of the Bentley SUV, the company’s fourth model line. The SUV will be made in Crewe and will go on sale in 2016.

Bentley claims that response from existing Bentley customers has been overwhelmingly positive since the company revealed a 4×4 concept at the Geneva Motor Show some 16 months ago.

The company not only confirmed that a Bentley off-roader is heading for production but also that it will be built and hand-finished in the UK rather than under contract at a plant much further afield.

Bentley didn’t reveal any details about the car, which will no doubt compete head to head with the current off-road luxury king, the Range Rover, other than to say that it would be true to the company’s DNA and would therefore be the most luxurious and powerful SUV on the market.

Bentley aficionados will be hoping that the finished vehicle bears little resemblance to the Bentley EXP 9F concept that it unveiled at Geneva, which won a number of ugliest in show awards. Aware of this, Bentley has wisely only provided a pencil sketch of the upcoming car as a teaser of its final design.