Bentley Looks Towards an All-Electric Future

Bentley says its first full EV, due to unveil next year, will also be the “world’s first luxury urban SUV”. It will be smaller than Bentayaga, under 5m long, the smallest Bentley yet. Deliveries are set to begin in 2027. 

CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser told the media the new EV will be compact for Bentley. It will line up against the likes of BMW iX and the upcoming electric Porsche Cayenne. 

The advantage of being more compact is that it is easier to drive in urban environments, according to Walliser. The target is primarily for new rather than existing customers.

“The concept is super versatile,” he told Auto Express. “You can use it for long range or you can use it in the city. We also want to attract new customers and we think with that concept, it really adds something new to Bentley.” He described the range as “definitely sufficient”, while charging rate is also up to speed. 

Real world testing is evidently well underway. While “it will be a pure Bentley”, there will also “be an uplift in comfort” and “it will be so much more agile.” Even the sound will be like that of a “true Bentley”. However, it won’t be synthetic, rather something different, unique for an EV.

The single teaser silhouette tells little; it doesn’t really appear that different from the Bentayga outline, with a long bonnet, clear rear haunches and a sloping rear screen. However, it will have a new front end design to reflect the fact it isn’t ICE powered.

Bentley’s electric SUV will use the Volkswagen Group’s new PPE platform, which is a bespoke EV architecture co-developed by Porsche and Audi. So far, it’s been used for the Porsche Macan Electric, the Audi A6 and Q6 e-tron models. Cayenne is next.

Bentley has also promised to launch a new electrified model every year for the next decade. That includes both pure electric cars and plug-in hybrids, all developed at Crewe. The goal now is for Bentley to become an electric-only brand in 2035, the date shifted out by five years. It will also extend the life of its PHEVs out to 2035. Since the recent demise of the W12, Continental GT and Flying Spur are now offered solely with a V8 PHEV powertrain.

In the near future, expect more variants of Continental GT and Flying Spur Speed. A new petrol Bentayga is also imminent.

Bentley does not plan to offer hybrid and pure-electric powertrains in the same model. It also hints at a significant expansion of the company’s line-up beyond the current range of four model lines.

The Crewe factory is undergoing a makeover to include the new EV production line. 

Walliser has hinted in the past that some of Bentley’s future models will be “more extreme” than its current line-up. So expect the unexpected.