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Bentley desires to “create one other section” with its first absolutely electrical automobile – a luxurious SUV as a result of launch in 2026.
Particulars stay comparatively scarce, however chief communications officer Wayne Bruce says the as-yet-unnamed EV can be correctly distinctive and sit on the backside finish of the Bentley worth spectrum.
“With this primary city luxurious city SUV, we’re going to create one other section. There’s nothing fairly prefer it… the scale and form, with the standard of the craftsmanship and efficiency on the worth level,” Mr Bruce informed CarExpert.
“It gained’t be Bentayga Pace cash. This hasn’t been determined but, however will probably be round entry Bentayga cash.”
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For reference, the Bentayga begins from $412,600 earlier than on-road prices for the bottom V8 in Australia, whereas the incoming Bentayga Pace instructions $513,600 plus on-roads. As such, Bentley’s electrical ‘city SUV’ will doubtless value lower than $450,000.
Bentley has already confirmed will probably be smaller than the Bentayga, which is 5.1 metres lengthy in standard-wheelbase kind. Subsequently the EV is more likely to be related in measurement to the Audi Q6 e-tron and Porsche Macan Electrical with which it shares a platform.
Nonetheless, don’t count on Bentley’s EV to really feel like a reskinned Volkswagen Group product. Moderately, the brand new SUV will take inspiration from the adventurous EXP 15 sedan idea unveiled again in July.
“It’s a completely totally different kind of Bentley,” stated Mr Bruce.
“It’s barely smaller than the Bentayga, with rather more progressive design language.
“While you sit inside it, it’s nonetheless recognisably a Bentley, but it surely’s shifting on once more. It’s one thing that you want, even when you’ve by no means thought of an electrical automotive earlier than.
“A number of the options within the automotive have been teased in EXP 15.”
Key options of the EXP 15 embody genre-bending exterior design, a digital entrance grille, three-seat cabin structure, a full-width digital sprint that may be turned off and rotated for a wooden veneer floor, and heavy use of supplies corresponding to pure woods, silk jacquard and woven steel.
The battery and motor configuration for Bentley’s preliminary electrical foray remains to be beneath wraps, however the British marque has confirmed its debut EV can recuperate 100 miles (161km) of vary in simply 6.5 minutes of charging – a determine that hints to DC fast-charging functionality in extra of 350kW.
Energy could possibly be sourced from the identical huge 108kWh lithium-ion battery and twin electrical motors discovered within the new Porsche Cayenne Electrical, which generates as much as 850kW of energy and 1500Nm of torque in top-shelf Turbo kind. The identical mannequin also can dash from 0-100km/h in a claimed 2.5 seconds, and journey 623km between prices.
All can be revealed in 2026 when Bentley formally lifts the lid on the primary of its many new electrical fashions.
The automotive is being designed and developed within the UK, and can be produced on the model’s headquarters in Crewe, about an hour south of Manchester.
Bentley initially deliberate to introduce its first EV this yr, adopted by a brand new electrical mannequin yearly till 2030, however then wound again these plans as a result of market situations and altering laws.
Again in early 2024, Bentley’s then-CEO Adrian Hallmark additionally blamed the electrical crossover’s delayed launch on technical points encountered by Porsche and Audi throughout the growth of the shared Platform Premium Electrical (PPE).
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