Bentley is Considering an All-Electric Baby Bentayga

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky
bentley is considering an all electric baby bentayga

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]

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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.

  • Lorenzo This series is epic, but I now fear you'll never get to the gigantic Falcon/Dart/Nova comparison.
  • Chris P Bacon Ford and GM have decided that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Odds are Chrysler/Cerberus/FCA/Stellantis is next to join in. If any of the companies like Electrify America had been even close to Tesla in reliability, we wouldn't be here.
  • Inside Looking Out China will decide which EV charging protocol will become world wide standard.
  • Chris P Bacon I see no reference to Sweden or South Carolina. I hate to assume, but is this thing built in China? I can't help but wonder if EVs would be more affordable to the masses if they weren't all stuffed full of horsepower most drivers will never use. How much could the price be reduced if it had, say, 200hp. Combined with the instant torque of an EV, that really is plenty of power for the daily commuter, which is what this vehicle really is.
  • Ajla It's weird how Polestar apparently has better BEVs than Volvo. And this is the same price as a Pilot and Plus optioned Polestar 2 AWD.
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