Bentley supposed to introduce its first electrical mannequin in 2025—however that is not occurring. CEO Adrian Hallmark advised Automotive News Europe the EV has been delayed by a yr due to technical issues brought on by software program points in addition to “platform-related concerns.” Crewe’s inaugural EV is now anticipated to interrupt cowl close to the tip of 2026, however buyer deliveries will not begin till 2027.
Separately, Autocar has discovered Bentley can also be pushing again its objective to turn out to be solely electrical by the tip of the last decade. According to the brand new agenda, the ultra-luxury British model desires to utterly do away with gasoline automobiles by 2033. The three-year delay will permit the corporate to speculate extra in plug-in hybrids to supply a smoother transition to an EV-only lineup early into the following decade.
The inaugural EV goes to be manufactured at residence within the UK and will likely be underpinned by the Premium Platform Electric co-developed by Porsche and Audi. The first PPE-based fashions have been lately revealed because the second-generation Macan in January and the Q6 E-Tron earlier this week. While all three manufacturers sit beneath the Volkswagen Group umbrella, Audi technically owns Bentley (in addition to Lamborghini and Ducati) since 2022.
The choice to delay the EV is not stunning. The Macan and Q6 E-Tron have been additionally purported to arrive sooner, per the unique bulletins. Before the primary zero-emission mannequin arrives, Bentley is making ready to launch a high-performance plug-in hybrid setup based mostly round a V-8. It’ll not directly exchange the venerable W-12, which is unfortunately going away with the 740-horsepower Batur.
The firm’s head honcho admits Bentley had estimated demand for hybrids would lower nearer to the tip of the last decade, however it’s now anticipated to rise. Consequently, the high-end automaker is pouring “hundreds of millions” into a brand new wave of PHEVs that’ll stay on sale early into the following decade to fulfill demand.
We’ll be seeing that punchy V8 PHEV setup within the GT, GTC, and Flying Spur later in 2024. The present V-6 PHEV is staying whereas the Bentayga will retain its pure gasoline powertrain till 2026 when the luxurious SUV is about to turn out to be electric-only.
The now-delayed EV will not exchange an current mannequin because it’ll be a totally totally different product. When it does arrive, it is getting a warmer Speed model touted as “the W12 of batteries” with electrical motors developed to ship 50 to 100% extra energy than ICEs. For now, essentially the most potent mannequin on this PPE platform is the Porsche Macan Turbo with 630 hp and 833 pound-feet of torque.
The batteries that can go inside Bentley’s first EV could have sufficient juice for 350 to 450 miles on a single cost, in line with a press release made final yr by Hallmark. It’ll take lower than 20 minutes to replenish the battery from 10 to 80 %.
For the time being, the Bentayga is the undisputed gross sales king with a 44-percent share of the full quantity in 2023. The Continental GT/GTC is subsequent with 31 % whereas the Flying Spur occupies the final spot on the rostrum with a 25-percent share. In 2023, complete deliveries dropped by 11 % to 13,560 items.