The venerable 6.75-liter V8 will surely be in production in some Bentley or another until we’re all crusted over and dead, but that’s not the future of Bentley as a whole. The future of Bentley is electric as hell, and it’s probably going to be an EV baby Bentley SUV.
That’s the word on high from top Bentley execs, according to Automotive News:
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“I can assure you that Bentley — on the long term view — will not stay with one model only in the SUV lineup,” Wolfgang Duerheimer, Bentley CEO, said at the press launch of the Continental Supersports. “We have clear indications that a smaller Bentayga as a Bentley SUV would find great acceptance.”
But a smaller SUV would need to be different enough from the Bentayga so as not to cannibalize the larger model’s sales.
Making it electric solves that issue.
“If you are looking for such a car [small SUV] then we are looking to that in combination with the possibilities to go full electric,” said Rolf Frech, Bentley’s board member for engineering. “It only makes sense if you get really new customers into the brand.”
This is fine! Really, it is. I mean, what are Bentleys, at their heart? They’re big, torquey beasts that are capable of wafting their occupants in supreme quiet and comfort, with the secret superpower of being able to destroy tires. And there’s nothing really better for that mix than electric motors.
I don’t even mind that it doesn’t solve the big problem that nearly all electric cars face. Unless Bentley (and by extension, Volkswagen) figures out how to truly extend the range of its electric cars like Tesla has with its Supercharger system, all-electric grandfather clocks will be pretty much housebound to a range of 300 miles, barring any major advances in battery technology.
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Whatever, I don’t see too many Bentleys plying interstates, anyway. If you have a Bentley, you’re probably just going to fly in a private jet like the rich miscreant you are.
Won’t Need The Gas Delivery Thing If It’s Electric
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