BENTLEY BLITZ TO START WITH URBAN EV CROSSOVER

Run of 10 new models in 10 years will begin with a bold EV in 2026

-  JAMES ATTWOOD

Bentley's first electric vehicle will arrive in 2026 as "the world's first true luxury urban SUV", according to the British firm - and it will be one of 10 new EV and plug-in hybrid models to be launched in the space of a decade.

The debut EV from the Crewe-based firm had been due next year but, in a manner similar to other car firms, Bentley has pushed its timescales back, including its ambition to become electric-only, which is now set for 2035. Instead, it will continue to develop PHEV technology and now extend the life cycle of its PHEV cars beyond 2030 until 2035.

New Bentley boss Frank-Steffen Walliser said the firm was adapting to "today's economic, market and legislative environment" and called the new strategy "a major transformative plan for tomorrow".

BENTLEY'S REVISED PLANS FOR ELECTRIFICATION

Bentley revealed its bold Beyond100 business strategy in 2020, with a plan to launch its first EV in 2025 and become an EV-only brand by 2030. But with slower than expected demand for EVs in the luxury segment, former Bentley boss Adrian Hallmark indicated earlier this year that the timing would be pushed back until 2032/33 (Autocar, 20 March).

The revised Beyond100+ strategy has now laid out a clear plan, which includes an "ambition" to be building only full-electric cars from 2035 onwards and continuing with its successful line-up of PHEV models until then. Following the discontinuation of the firm's fabled W12 engine, the Continental GT and Flying Spur are now offered purely with a V8 PHEV powertrain.

Under the new Beyond 100+ plan, the 2026 EV will begin a decade-long programme of launching a new EV or PHEV almost every year. Bentley has not yet indicated whether each of those electrified vehicles will be an entirely new model or if some will be powertrain variations, but it hints at a significant expansion of the company's line-up beyond the current range of four model lines.