Does Bentley Own Rolls-Royce? | Brand Split Facts

No, Bentley belongs to Volkswagen Group, while Rolls-Royce Motor Cars belongs to BMW Group.

Bentley does not own Rolls-Royce. The two British luxury names were once tied through the same car business, which is why the question feels natural. They shared factories, engineering links, and a long stretch of joint history.

Today, the ownership is split. Bentley is part of Volkswagen Group. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is part of BMW Group. The split dates back to a tricky 1998 sale that left one company with factory assets and another with the Rolls-Royce name for cars.

Why The Confusion Started

The mix-up comes from the old Rolls-Royce Motors business. That company built both Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars for many years. The cars were often related under the skin, and both brands were linked to the Crewe factory in England.

In 1998, Vickers sold Rolls-Royce Motors. Volkswagen Group bought the business, including Bentley, the Crewe plant, car designs, and several physical brand assets. BMW did not buy that full operation, but it secured the right to use the Rolls-Royce name and logo on cars after a transition period.

That strange split made the story messy. Volkswagen controlled Bentley and the old Crewe operation. BMW gained the rights needed to build modern Rolls-Royce cars under a new company. Since 2003, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has operated from Goodwood, not Crewe.

Bentley And Rolls-Royce Ownership Split With Dates

The clean way to read the deal is this: Volkswagen got Bentley, while BMW got the Rolls-Royce car marque. The two brands now sit under different parent companies and make their own cars through different plants.

Volkswagen Group lists Bentley as one of its brands and places the marque in Crewe, United Kingdom. Its official Bentley page describes the brand as part of the group and notes its 1919 founding date. You can verify that on the Volkswagen Group Bentley brand page.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars gives the other half of the answer. The company states that it is a wholly owned subsidiary of BMW Group and a separate legal entity from Rolls-Royce plc, the aircraft engine company. The Rolls-Royce Motor Cars ownership page says the Goodwood business started on January 1, 2003.

BMW Group’s own history page also tracks the handover. It says Rolls-Royce was held by Volkswagen until the end of 2002, then BMW took full responsibility for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars with the related rights. That entry appears in the BMW Group history timeline.

Who Owns Each Brand Now?

The ownership answer is simple once the old deal is separated from the modern companies. Bentley and Rolls-Royce are not sister brands now. They compete in the same ultra-luxury market, but their corporate parents are rivals.

Bentley Motors Limited sits inside Volkswagen Group. Its modern lineup has included cars such as the Continental GT, Flying Spur, Bentayga, and Mulsanne. The Crewe site remains central to Bentley’s identity because that plant carried so much of the old shared story.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited sits inside BMW Group. Its models have included the Phantom, Ghost, Cullinan, Spectre, and coachbuilt commissions. The Goodwood plant is the base for modern Rolls-Royce car production.

Brand Question	Bentley	Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Parent company	Volkswagen Group	BMW Group
Modern production base	Crewe, England	Goodwood, England
Current corporate link	No shared owner with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars	No shared owner with Bentley
Old shared link	Built under Rolls-Royce Motors for many years	Built under Rolls-Royce Motors before 2003
1998 deal result	Volkswagen kept Bentley and Crewe	BMW secured Rolls-Royce car rights for 2003 onward
Brand position	Driver-leaning luxury and grand touring	Chauffeur-grade luxury and silent refinement
Common mix-up	People think Bentley gained Rolls-Royce through Crewe	People think Volkswagen kept the car name forever
Simple answer	Bentley does not own Rolls-Royce	BMW owns Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

What Volkswagen Actually Bought

Volkswagen’s 1998 purchase was big, but it did not end with Volkswagen owning the modern Rolls-Royce car brand for the long run. Volkswagen bought the old Rolls-Royce Motors operation from Vickers. That meant factories, staff, car lines, and Bentley.

The catch was the Rolls-Royce name. The car business did not fully control that name in the way many people assume. The famous Rolls-Royce name and double-R logo were tied to the aircraft engine side, then known as Rolls-Royce plc.

BMW had a working relationship with Rolls-Royce and supplied engines to the old car company. BMW then reached the deal that mattered most for the modern car brand: the right to use the Rolls-Royce name and logo on cars from 2003.

So Volkswagen ended up with Bentley and the Crewe base. BMW ended up with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and built a new home at Goodwood. It was less like one brand buying another and more like a split of names, rights, and factories.

Why Bentley Never Owned Rolls-Royce

Bentley was not the buyer in the 1998 sale. Volkswagen Group was. Bentley was one of the assets inside the old Rolls-Royce Motors operation. That means Bentley did not purchase Rolls-Royce, did not control the Rolls-Royce car name after 2002, and does not run Rolls-Royce Motor Cars now.

A better way to phrase the history is this: Bentley and Rolls-Royce used to live inside the same car maker. Then the brands separated. Volkswagen kept Bentley. BMW took Rolls-Royce Motor Cars into a fresh operating era.

This is also why older Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars can feel closely related. A vintage Bentley Turbo R and a Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit share a family link from the old company. A modern Bentley Continental GT and a modern Rolls-Royce Spectre do not share that same parent company link.

Brand Differences Buyers Notice

The ownership split also shaped the way each brand talks to buyers. Bentley often leans into driving feel, grand touring, and a sportier kind of luxury. Rolls-Royce leans into stillness, formality, and near-limitless personal specification.

Both brands build expensive cars with hand-finished cabins. Yet they sell different moods. A Bentley usually feels like a luxury car you may want to drive yourself. A Rolls-Royce often feels like a private lounge on wheels, even when the owner drives it.

That difference is not a hard rule. Some Rolls-Royce owners love driving. Some Bentley buyers ride in the rear. Still, the brand voices are not the same, and their parent companies have kept them far apart since the split.

If You Mean	Correct Owner	Plain Answer
New Bentley cars	Volkswagen Group	Bentley is a Volkswagen Group brand.
New Rolls-Royce cars	BMW Group	Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is a BMW Group subsidiary.
Rolls-Royce aircraft engines	Rolls-Royce plc	That is a separate company from the car maker.
Old Crewe-built cars	Historic Rolls-Royce Motors era	Some older models came from the same operation.
Post-2003 Rolls-Royce cars	BMW Group	Goodwood production belongs to the BMW era.

Common Wrong Answers To Avoid

One wrong answer is that Volkswagen owns Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. That was only partly true during the short transition after the 1998 sale. Since January 1, 2003, the modern Rolls-Royce car maker has belonged to BMW Group.

Another wrong answer is that Bentley owns Rolls-Royce because both brands once came from Crewe. A factory link is not the same as ownership. Bentley stayed with Volkswagen Group; Rolls-Royce Motor Cars moved into BMW Group control.

A third wrong answer is that BMW owns all Rolls-Royce businesses. BMW owns Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, not the aircraft engine company. Rolls-Royce plc is a separate business, and that difference matters when reading news about engines, defense contracts, or jet technology.

Bottom Line For Shoppers And Car Fans

Bentley does not own Rolls-Royce. Bentley is owned by Volkswagen Group, while Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is owned by BMW Group. The confusion comes from a shared past, a 1998 sale, and a split between physical assets and naming rights.

If you are comparing the brands, treat them as separate rivals. Bentley carries the Crewe story under Volkswagen. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars carries the Goodwood story under BMW. The old connection explains the confusion, but it does not describe the ownership today.