BENTLEY Motor Firm has simply 9 years to separate itself from combustion engines because it makes an attempt to be “environmentally and ethically clear” in its transition to an all-electric automobile line-up by 2030.
Whereas V8 and W12 petrol engines kind the historic legacy of the British luxurious marque, Bentley says it’ll supply a plug-in hybrid model of each mannequin by 2024, and that the present W12 engine – a considerably new powertrain that debuted in late-2017 within the third-gen Continental GT – will probably be discontinued inside 5 years.
Talking to Australian motoring media on the current MY21 Bentayga launch, Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark confirmed that widespread hybridisation of its line-up is already taking place – beginning in Australia with the Flying Spur plug-in hybrid within the second quarter of 2022 – and that its first battery-electric automobile (BEV) is “now undoubtedly (due by) the top of 2025.”
“We actually are on the transfer (by way of fully revamping the Crewe manufacturing website) and it’s all about making us prepared for this electrified future for Bentley,” stated Mr Hallmark.
“It’s fairly ironic that … the 12-cylinder has been the bedrock of the Bentley story however there’s little question that inside 5 years, that engine won’t exist, and that’s a tragic assertion.
“However confronted with this, and with the ever-growing information in regards to the influence on local weather, and with the applied sciences that we now know can be found, and particularly with buyer developments that we’re selecting up via our analysis and thru our dialogue, we’ve absolutely embraced that electrified, carbon-neutral future. And truly see, for us as an organization, that subsequent huge strategic leap.
“We consider that we will make Bentley environmentally and ethically clear, and impartial, all constructive. And we predict this provides luxurious a goal – it makes the model and the phase interesting to a brand new technology of consumers,” stated Mr Hallmark
However he additionally admitted that Bentley plans to take advantage of the time it has left constructing on its combustion-engine heritage.
“Please, please don’t fear, as a result of for the following 9 years, we are going to have fun to the nth diploma all the pieces that we do – in eight cylinders, in hybrids, and in 12 cylinders – and we’ll do the most effective Bentleys we’ve ever accomplished, and we’ll ship this combustion-engine know-how period out with the utmost fireworks and product highlights that we probably can, and interact with current clients as we make the shift in direction of electrification.”
Whereas the Bentayga plug-in hybrid is already out there within the US, Canada, Puerto Rico and China, the Flying Spur plug-in hybrid would be the first electrified Australian-market Bentley, full with “much more horsepower within the base engine (in comparison with Bentayga Hybrid), in addition to a bit of bit extra vary within the electrical, and since the automotive is lighter, this mix makes the automotive completely elegant,” stated Mr Hallmark.
The Bentayga Hybrid he’s referring to combines a 3.0-litre turbo-petrol V6 with a 17.3kWh lithium-ion battery for mixed system outputs of 330kW/700Nm.
It’s able to 0-100km/h in a claimed 5.5 seconds, has a prime velocity of 254km/h and achieves 3.3L/100km on the NEDC mixed gasoline cycle.
“(The Flying Spur Hybrid) is actually as refined because the W12 however the economic system of the automobile is actually unbelievable,” he stated.
“So even when it doesn’t meet probably the most strict metropolis limits by way of CO2 certification numbers, in the actual world you will get between 60 and 300 miles-per-gallon (3.9 and 0.8L/100km) in your day by day use of the automobile.”
As for what’s coming from Bentley, Mr Hallmark is bullish about what the Volkswagen-owned British marque is about to ship.
“The following technology of hybrids, which will probably be about two to 3 years away, will probably be with extra highly effective engines and extra battery energy, so that you’ll find yourself with extra energy than the W12.
“This could scale back our complete CO2 footprint by between 60 and 70 per cent in the actual world, after which in 2025 we launch the primary battery-electric automobile – it’ll truly be early ’26 earlier than we see it broad-scale internationally on the street.
“And from ’26 to ’29, we then systematically go from ICE to electrical in each nameplate over that three- to four-year interval, so we actually are on a rare journey from that perspective,” he stated.
With a very refreshed mannequin vary, Bentley gross sales have been setting data within the lead-up in direction of electrification.
International quantity reached 11,206 items in 2020, with gross sales up an extra 40 per cent within the first quarter of 2021 – regardless that the order charge is greater than Bentley’s supply charge.
In Australia, Bentley achieved 165 gross sales in 2020, down 14 per cent on 2019 primarily as a result of inventory shortages within the transition to facelifted Bentayga and new-generation Flying Spur.
Yr-to-date in 2021, Bentley gross sales are up 23 per cent to 64 items – 28 Continentals, 26 Bentaygas and 10 Flying Spurs.
