Bentley confirms 'Luxury Urban' EV for next year
Battery-powered SUV will be revealed in 2026; first deliveries are due in 2027...
Where once electric car announcements came loud and proud, now they’re delivered in a more reserved fashion. You can thank fluctuations in buyer demand and legislation for that much. So while Bentley has today confirmed that it will be making a new EV - the world’s first Luxury Urban SUV, it reckons - from next year, with deliveries as soon as 2027, there isn’t very much more to say for the moment. Somewhat tellingly, there’s not a lot more to say than this time last year, in fact.
There still isn’t a name, or any claims about range or performance. The (pictured) EXP 15 shown in the summer was said to provide clues to the styling, but there is no additional artwork. We know it’ll be less than five metres long (so shorter than a Bentayga, as well as an electric Range Rover), and that it will be able to add 100 miles of charge in less than seven minutes. Naturally, a ‘true Bentley driving experience and the craftsmanship expected of the marque’ is guaranteed, and prototype testing is apparently underway.
Perhaps the most telling announcement about the Luxury Urban SUV thus far, however, is the fact that Bentley sees this car as ‘incremental’ to its current line-up. Like Ferrari, Bentley won’t use this car to drastically pivot to becoming an EV luxury car maker. It’ll be there for those customers who want one, rather than with the intention of it being a majority seller. Not so long ago, when forecasts were of much broader electrification, such modest claims would have been almost unthinkable.
But times have changed, and changed quickly, reflected in the fact that hybridised Bentleys (currently cars like the Flying Spur and Continental GT) will be available until at least 2035 - previously the cut-off date for Bentley to ditch combustion and be exclusively electric, which itself had already moved. The Bentayga Speed is notably non-hybridised, and a ‘new limited production performance model’ - surely the upcoming Supersports - will be as well.
This means Bentley ‘can maintain powertrain flexibility in line with customer demand across its global markets’, which sounds a lot like giving people big engines - because that’s what they currently want to buy. Accordingly, pure electric is going to be playing a smaller part than once envisaged, meaning, as with so many other makers that are having to retreat on previous targets, that strategy is evolving at breakneck speed.
Bentley CEO Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser stated that the brand is “evolving our product cadence to reflect the realities of a changing world and a dynamic marketplace.” Of the new car, he added: “Our first fully electric Bentley, the world’s first true Luxury Urban SUV, represents a bold step forward, it embodies our vision for sustainable luxury and technological excellence. With industry-leading charging capability and unmistakable Bentley character and design, it marks the beginning of an exciting new era for our brand - a future defined by innovation, craftsmanship, and sustainability.” Expect to get a proper first look very soon.
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