Mulsanne to be reborn as super-luxury electric GT

Bentley’s new flagship will be a high-priced, sporty model with next-gen EV tech

- RACHEL BURGESS

Bentley is readying an all-new Mulsanne, due to arrive before the end of the decade, for its radical electric era.

The new flagship model will be part of the firm’s recently announced five-in-five strategy, in which it will launch five electric models between 2025 and 2030.

The first of those Bentleys, expected to be previewed later this year, has been described as a Mulsanne replacement because it will be the most expensive model in the marque’s line-up at that time, as the Mulsanne once was, but it will not share similar proportions. Instead, it will be a smaller saloon, riding higher to accommodate underfloor batteries.

Ultimately, though, a modern-day flagship, which will elevate pricing far beyond that of the former Mulsanne, will stand at the top of the lineup before 2030. This will allow Bentley to tap further into the super-luxury segment, ensuring high profit margins and the customisation expected by the mega-rich.

Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark told Autocar: “We’ve dropped out of the Mulsanne segment and that is something, if we look at the market, that is still attractive to us. It’s part of our historic strength to work in that segment.”

The final Mulsanne left the line at the firm’s Crewe plant in June 2020, marking the end of an 11-year production run for the model, of which more than 7300 examples were built. It was also the final machine to feature Bentley’s 6.75-litre V8 engine, the longest-serving V8 in continuous production.