Bentley teases first EV, delays going absolutely electrical once more

Bentley has teased its first-ever electrical automobile, whereas additionally confirming it received’t be shifting to a purely electrical lineup by 2030.

These particulars had been revealed late final week when the Volkswagen-owned British marque unveiled its Past 100+ strategic plan, a revision of the sooner Past 100 plan initially introduced in 2020.

Due in 2026 — a yr later than initially deliberate — the as-yet unnamed crossover is being classed because the “world’s first luxurious city SUV” by Bentley, suggesting it is going to be smaller in dimension than the Bentayga, which is 5.1m lengthy in normal wheelbase kind.

Like the corporate’s present fashions, the brand new EV could have outstanding bulge across the rear wheel arch. It’s going to additionally function a window line that sweeps upwards aft of the rear doorways, like on the Continental coupe.

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Though Bentley didn’t present any additional particulars concerning the new mannequin’s drivetrain and vary, the corporate claimed the automotive is being designed and developed within the UK, and can be produced on the model’s headquarters in Crewe, about an hour south of Manchester.

Earlier this yr Bentley’s then-CEO Adrian Hallmark blamed the electrical crossover’s delayed launch on technical points encountered by Porsche and Audi throughout the improvement of Platform Premium Electrical (PPE), which serves as the premise of the Audi Q6 e-tron and second-generation Porsche Macan, in addition to Bentley’s crossover EV.

After the electrical crossover’s unveiling, Bentley plans to launch a brand new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or pure electrical mannequin yearly till 2035.

On account of “in the present day’s financial, market and legislative surroundings” — code for the slower-than-anticipated take up of electrical automobiles — Bentley’s lineup received’t be fully electrical till 2035, proper when gross sales of latest petrol- and diesel-powered automobiles can be banned within the European Union.

This isn’t the primary delay within the firm’s all-electric ambitions. In late 2020, Bentley introduced it could have a totally electrified vary by 2026 earlier than going pure electrical by 2030. Earlier this yr, it pushed the all-EV goal again to 2033.

To accommodate this shift, Bentley plans on “extending the lifecycle of PHEV fashions past 2030”.

The Flying Spur sedan, and Continental coupe and convertible are powered completely by plug-in hybrid drivetrain that includes 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8. The Bentayga, a minimum of in normal wheelbase kind, is accessible with the V6 plug-in hybrid setup.

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