Bentley is Considering an All-Electric Baby Bentayga

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

If you were wondering if the Volkswagen-owned Bentley Motors Limited would be omitted from its parent company’s promise of rampant electrification, it won’t.

Bentley also isn’t too high and mighty to hop onto the compact crossover bandwagon. Executives are saying that the luxury motorcar manufacturer is toying with the notion of producing a small all-electric SUV positioned beneath the $229,100 Bentayga, in stature anyway.

“I can assure you that Bentley — on the long term view — will not stay with one model only in the SUV lineup,” Bentley CEO Wolfgang Duerheimer said during the press launch of the Continental Supersports. “We have clear indications that a smaller Bentayga as a Bentley SUV would find great acceptance.”

A utomotive News quoted Rolf Frech, Bentley’s board member on engineering, as stating “If you are looking for such a car then we are looking at the combination with the possibilities to go full electric. It only makes sense if you get really new customers into the brand.”

Bentley already promised an eventual plug-in hybrid option for each of its models, starting with the Bentayga SUV and ending with the Flying Spur. The early models will use a V6 PHEV powertrain borrowed from VW capable of at least 500 hp, but the company has said it also wants to use a hybridized V8 — particularly for the North American market.

Considering Volkswagen has promised to launch over two-dozen electric cars by 2025, Bentley’s move toward additional electrification isn’t completely out of left field. Other VW sub-brands are working on all-electric vehicles as well. Lamborghini has plans to build a plug-in model of the upcoming Urus crossover, Audi is working on an e-tron SUV line, Porsche has said it would build the E Mission, and there have been sightings of an all-electric Cayenne prototype.

Frech said the Bentley EV wouldn’t show up until 2020, just after those vehicles are scheduled to arrive.

[Image: Bentley Motors Limited]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • Sector 5 Sector 5 on Feb 26, 2017

    Is Bentayga a type 4 redux from VW with a fatter margin?

    • RobertRyan RobertRyan on Feb 27, 2017

      @Joss, No but their first attempt at a Luxury SUV. Reaction has been good

  • Lorenzo Lorenzo on Feb 27, 2017

    You know, we shiftless people who drive low cost appliances will have to pay more to make up for all the money being wasted on electric vehicles. We're awash in oil. Knock off this foolishness and put the money into new V-8 engineering. Even the Dart had a 318 and Torqueflite!

    • See 2 previous
    • 28-Cars-Later 28-Cars-Later on Feb 27, 2017

      @Lorenzo I think between the number produced, the aesthetics, and the fact it has cred as being the first serious EV, they would remain around in the hands of owners for some time even if the parent company failed tomorrow. "The fact remains that Tesla’s business plan relies on government subsidies in the form of carbon credit sales, and Tesla still doesn’t have the manufacturing chops to scale up production to break even without the carbon credit sales income." I agree but for whatever reason (rigged financial system, juiced-in insiders, obsession over Manbearpig etc), I don't see Musk's creation failing despite it's nonsensical business model.

  • Corey Lewis Think how dated this 80s design was by 1995!
  • Tassos Jong-iL Communist America Rises!
  • Merc190 A CB7 Accord with the 5 cylinder
  • MRF 95 T-Bird Daihatsu Copen- A fun Kei sized roadster. Equipped with a 660cc three, a five speed manual and a retractable roof it’s all you need. Subaru Levorg wagon-because not everyone needs a lifted Outback.
  • Merc190 I test drive one of these back in the day with an automatic, just to drive an Alfa, with a Busso no less. Didn't care for the dash design, would be a fun adventure to find some scrapped Lancia Themas or Saab 900's and do some swapping to make car even sweeter. But definitely lose the ground effects.
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