Bentley The company may have abandoned its plan to become an electric-only brand earlier this year, but that doesn’t mean it’s throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Development of the brand’s first electric vehicle (EV) is progressing quickly and it takes the form of a large battery-electric SUV based on the same Premium Platform Electric (PPE) as the Porsche Cayenne Electric.
It is scheduled to be unveiled in 2026 before launching in 2027.
Bentley calls it the “first urban luxury SUV” and a “completely different type of Bentley” and claims it will “create another segment.”
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“There’s nothing like it…the size and shape, the quality of workmanship and performance at this price,” said Wayne Bruce, Bentley’s chief communications officer Daily Sparkz in November.
“It won’t be money for the Bentayga Speed. That hasn’t been decided yet, but it will be entry-level money for the Bentayga,” he added, referring to a sub-$450,000 price tag.
Look beyond the strange camouflage and you can see a long hood and muscular hips, like other Bentley models like the Continental.
Up front are egg-shaped headlights, with the daytime running lights and indicators separate from the main headlight assembly, creating the split-level look that’s all the rage in the 2020s.
The doors have frameless windows and the beltline is higher on the rear doors.
The C/D pillar and the tailgate are stylishly designed, and the overall impression is a little sportier than the 5.1 m long Bentayga, under which the new model fits in size.
Inside, this prototype’s cabin appears to be production-ready except for the missing badge on the steering wheel.
There are multi-function lights and a windshield wiper stalk on one side of the steering column, a gear lever on the other, while the center console appears to have a curved screen. The interior is wrapped in black and red leather, and on the dashboard and steering wheel we spot some fine wood inlays and knurled metal switches.
Bentley has announced that the production SUV will feature some features introduced in this year’s polarizing EXP 15 concept, a 5.4m high-riding fastback, but has not specified which ones.
The EXP 15 features a digital front grille, while inside there is a full-width digital dashboard that can be turned off and covered with wood veneer.
Bentley has confirmed that its first electric vehicle can regain 100 miles (161 km) of range in just 6.5 minutes of charging – a figure that suggests DC fast charging capability of over 350 kW.
The power could come from the same large 108 kWh lithium-ion battery and two electric motors found in the new Porsche Cayenne Electric, which produces up to 850 kW of power and 1500 Nm of torque in top turbo form with launch control activated.
The same model can also sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in a claimed 2.5 seconds.
The Cayenne Electric has an 800-volt electrical architecture, a maximum DC fast charging output of 400 kW and, depending on the variant, a WLTP range of up to 624 km.
Bentley has not yet christened its first electric vehicle, but has trademarked the name Barnato – probably after Woolf Barnato, the son of diamond magnate Barney Barnato, who was among a group of wealthy Brits who raced Bentleys in the 1920s and also invested heavily in the company.
The British automaker has also filed a trademark application for the Mayon name. This is a volcano in the Philippines and would match Bentayga, which is named after Roque Bentayga, a rock formation in the Canary Islands.
Bentley had originally planned to launch its first electric vehicle this year and to launch a new electric model annually until 2030. However, these plans were then scaled back due to market conditions and changing regulations.
At the beginning of 2024, Bentley’s then CEO Adrian Hallmark also attributed the delayed market launch of the electric crossover to technical problems that Porsche and Audi had encountered when developing the common PPE architecture.
The Bentley EV could have a direct competitor in the form of an expected electric SUV from Jaguar.
There has been major upheaval in the luxury electric vehicle segment.
As Rolls-Royce has launched its electric Specter and Jaguar is pushing ahead with its reinvention as a more exclusive, all-electric brand, several automakers have softened or abandoned their all-electric vehicle targets and delayed planned electric vehicles.
In addition to Bentley’s announcement in September that it would no longer switch to only electric vehicles from 2035, Lotus has scrapped its plans for a pure electric drive and is launching plug-in hybrids; Ferrari postponed its second electric car due to low demand; Maserati has scrapped its planned MC20 Folgore electric supercar; and Lamborghini could abandon its planned first electric vehicle entirely.
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