Bentley, the Volkswagen Group’s luxury brand, has a very ambitious electrification schedule: it will go from launching its first 100% electric car in 2025 to exclusively selling this type of vehicle as of 2030, following in the wake of firms such as Cadillac, MINI or Smart, who have also set a date for their total conversion into electric car manufacturers (in the case of Smart, this transformation has already occurred).
During this decade, plug-in hybrids will play a fundamental role in the English company’s strategy, although their existence will be short-lived. Thus, by the year 2026, Bentley has the objective that all its vehicles are plug-in, whether they are hybrid or pure electric; however, looking to 2030, only the latter will survive.
This strategy contrasts with that of its top rival, Rolls-Royce, which recently confirmed that it would go directly from thermal models to electric ones, skipping the intermediate step: plug-in hybrids. As can be seen, Bentley’s transformation will be very fast but more gradual, betting first on PHEVs and then on BEVs.
What will Bentley’s first electric car look like? Adrian Hallmark, head of the British firm, gave some clues in a recent interview: “We want to attract more women and be more relevant in future urban environments, which will be very different from today. We want to appeal to modern luxury values, which are different from those of 20 years ago. We have already evolved, but times will change again in the next 10 to 15 years. In other words, it will be a fashionable model adapted to urban environments.” Did someone say SUV?
Rumors suggest that the vehicle will have a crossover format, somewhere between a saloon and an SUV. In other words, by philosophy, it will be located halfway between the Flying Spur and Bentayga. However, within the Bentley range, it could be considered a model superior to both, as it will become the new flagship of the company, succeeding the late Mulsanne.
This model is currently being developed by the Artemis division of the Volkswagen Group as part of the Landjet project, which will lead to three luxury electric cars to be marketed under the Audi, Bentley, and Porsche brands. Initially, all three will use the PPE electric modular platform, created by Audi and Porsche.