- First Bentley EV due in 2026
- First EV might be an SUV smaller than the Bentayga
- Bentley goals to grow to be totally electrical model by 2035
Bentley has scaled again its electrification plans within the face of slower than anticipated progress in demand for electrical automobiles however will nonetheless launch a automobile powered solely by batteries by the beforehand introduced date of 2026, CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser stated throughout a press convention held on Thursday.
Bentley solely two years in the past was planning to launch its first EV by the center of the last decade and comply with it up with a new EV yearly for the following 4 years, to be able to grow to be a completely electrical model by 2030.
Nevertheless, the automaker now plans to launch simply the one EV, confirmed by Walliser on Thursday as an SUV, and can add extra relying on how the market turns. Walliser stated Bentley is open to launching a brand new EV or plug-in hybrid yearly after the primary EV, and presently targets a swap to a completely electrical lineup by 2035.
In the course of the convention, Matthias Rabe, Bentley’s head of engineering, stated Bentley EVs will solely use devoted EV platforms, so there will not be any fashions providing the selection of electrical or plug-in hybrid powertrains. In keeping with him, the packaging calls for are simply so completely different that compromises would must be made.
This implies Bentley’s debut EV will not be associated to some other Bentley mannequin. It is going to be a brand new mannequin line, and is described by Walliser as a “luxurious city SUV.” It would measure lower than 197 inches lengthy, which is able to make it smaller than the Bentayga which measures 202 inches nostril to tail, and be extra agile to drive than a typical Bentley. In keeping with Walliser, this may make it simpler to drive in city areas and is meant to draw consumers which are new to the model.
Walliser has beforehand expressed that almost all of Bentley’s current prospects don’t need EVs, however that there is additionally a phase of consumers on the market in search of high-end EVs. For these consumers, he stated, it is about the entire expertise, not simply the drivetrain.
