Silly name for (maybe) a nice car - new Bentley
Discussion
I had the following in an e-mail from Bentley yesterday:
"A vehicle this extraordinary demands an extraordinary name.
"But what do you call an SUV with the entire planet's geology at its feet? We scanned the world, of course. From a satellite's eye view we searched for a symbol of nature's power and beauty, alighting first on the Taiga - the vast continental snow-forest that crowns the Northern Hemisphere.
"Then, we began to focus our lens tighter. Infinitely tighter. And, as ever with Bentley, it was in the meticulous detail that reward lay.
"The Roque Bentayga - an iconic, eye-catching standalone peak in the Atlantic Canary Islands, provided further inspiration. A truly unique and dominating feature; one with stature. A fitting symbol, then. One that draws attention from all directions - both locally and globally.
"The Bentayga will transport those within it to new environments. Not just through latitude and longitude - but also via mind and spirit."
What a load of bilge! Bentley has a fine sporting heritage, hence names like Mulsanne and Arnage. Bentayga is just plain naff. If I were in the fortunate position to consider buying one of these, and for some reason decided against a Range Rover which is the obvious choice, then the name alone would probably be enough to persuade me to keep my cheque-book in my pocket.
"A vehicle this extraordinary demands an extraordinary name.
"But what do you call an SUV with the entire planet's geology at its feet? We scanned the world, of course. From a satellite's eye view we searched for a symbol of nature's power and beauty, alighting first on the Taiga - the vast continental snow-forest that crowns the Northern Hemisphere.
"Then, we began to focus our lens tighter. Infinitely tighter. And, as ever with Bentley, it was in the meticulous detail that reward lay.
"The Roque Bentayga - an iconic, eye-catching standalone peak in the Atlantic Canary Islands, provided further inspiration. A truly unique and dominating feature; one with stature. A fitting symbol, then. One that draws attention from all directions - both locally and globally.
"The Bentayga will transport those within it to new environments. Not just through latitude and longitude - but also via mind and spirit."
What a load of bilge! Bentley has a fine sporting heritage, hence names like Mulsanne and Arnage. Bentayga is just plain naff. If I were in the fortunate position to consider buying one of these, and for some reason decided against a Range Rover which is the obvious choice, then the name alone would probably be enough to persuade me to keep my cheque-book in my pocket.
matt5791 said:
Sure, it's a bit of a fatty, and looks it. Unlike the older cars where the styling disguises the size. I think the Java was a much prettier car - built on a 5 Series platform. I thought it was super clever for what was a small company at the time with limited resources.
Graham Hull (ex chief stylist at RR & B) says something in his book about how the Germans like their cars to look big and aggressive, whereas at RR they were always trying to disguise the size - In Bentyaga you can see the German influence I think!
I think I can see the German influence in the name of the latest Bentley, too. Let me explain. In the German language, they tend add words together to get longer ones. In this case, it must have occurred to someone in the marketing department that it would be good to recognise the influence of another well known singer on the design of the car (you will recall the Beckham woman's involvement in the Evoque), so they called it "Bentleydesignedbyladygaga", but, as a sop to the English, shortened it by leaving out a few letters, thus: BENTleYdesignedbyladygAGA.Graham Hull (ex chief stylist at RR & B) says something in his book about how the Germans like their cars to look big and aggressive, whereas at RR they were always trying to disguise the size - In Bentyaga you can see the German influence I think!
There is, however, another possibility, again the brainchild of the marketing department, who recognised that customers for luxury SUVs almost certainly have an AGA in their "farmhouse" kitchen, so they decided that they would call it a "Bentleyaga" to make them feel at home when out in their shiny new SUVs, but spelling is not their strong point, so they forgot the le in Bentley.
12 POT said:
Perhaps they have determined that this new car will be targeting markets further to the east and that the name works well for the non Anglo-Saxon population. I haven't, as yet, seen an image of the new car, although, I should stress that I wouldn't be interested in owning a "4x4" of any make. Shame in a way that a number of the top end manufacturers feel the need to produce these vehicles, Porsche, Aston Martin and Bentley,...how long before there is a "Ferraryaga" or a "Roly-Royceyaga".
Ferrari already make one - it's called the FF.12 POT said:
I missed that! As stated earlier not that interested in "4x4's", nor the Italian marques come to that. I wonder what FF stands for, or is it just pronounced as "ph"?
When applied to the Jensen, the first well-known use of 4WD in a production sports car, it stood for Ferguson Formula, but in the case of Ferrari, I have no idea. Funny Ferrari? F*****g Ferrari? Ferrari's Folly?matt5791 said:
I kind of agree about the Mulsanne - it looks fantastic, like a proper big fast Bentley saloon following the tradition started with the Turbo.
But, when I had a look at one in the flesh, it was really rather conventional and ordinary and it was a real disappointment. Close your eyes and open the door, and you could be stepping into an Audi - it doesn't fulfil the sensory experience like the older cars, and I think on a £250K car, it needs to.
I have to say that in many ways I agree: while I enjoyed my drive in the Mulsanne far more than in the Flying Spur Speed that I tried the same day, and its performance was very impressive (if not as good as the FSS), I was not unhappy when I got back into my Turbo R to drive home. So I shan't be laying out £250K any time soon!!But, when I had a look at one in the flesh, it was really rather conventional and ordinary and it was a real disappointment. Close your eyes and open the door, and you could be stepping into an Audi - it doesn't fulfil the sensory experience like the older cars, and I think on a £250K car, it needs to.
Gassing Station | Bentley & Rolls Royce | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff