Photo: Bentley
First came the Mulsanne Hybrid Concept, then the EXP 10 Speed 6 Concept offered a preview of the electrified powertrain of the Bentley Bentayga Plug-In Hybrid. But Bentley also presented the world with the EXP 12 Speed 6e Concept, which relies on an all-electric setup for propulsion, as the “e” in its name suggests.
“Don’t tell me Bentley is going fully electric!” It is, I’m afraid, with the rest of the Volkswagen Group. The MEB, J1, and PPE platforms represent the building blocks of complete electrification for all the passenger car brands controlled by the group, including Porsche, Lamborghini, and Bentley.
When the British automaker’s EXP 12 Speed 6e premiered at the 2017 Geneva International Motor Show, former chief executive officer Wolfgang Durheimer claimed that Bentley “is committed to offering an electric model in its future portfolio and we are interested to receive feedback on this concept." The all-electric Bentley is not a question of if, but when will it happen.
This gets us to Auto Express, with the British motoring publication hearing through the grapevine that “work is underway on a pure EV that will harness some of the developments in the forthcoming Porsche Mission E.” Being twinned with Porsche’s electric sedan with coupe styling, the Bentley-badged alternative should also ride on the J1 platform, packing 600 electric ponies from a dual-motor configuration.
Design director Stefan Sielaff told Auto Express the newcomer “should be a four or five-seater and it should also have the possibility to carry a little bit of luggage, maybe not for five people,” adding: “I think we need to make sure that this family member is obviously new, and not imitating another concept we have already in the portfolio."
So let’s make a quick recap. Fully electric, more than two seats, something completely different from the EXP concepts. Reading between the lines, the Bentley EV is all but confirmed to share underpinnings with the Mission E.
Sielaff further claimed that the yet-unnamed model would go official in the nearest of futures. But on the other hand, Bentley still is “in the phase of trying to define what it could be.” Fret not, an all-electric SUV isn't in the cards for the time being.
When the British automaker’s EXP 12 Speed 6e premiered at the 2017 Geneva International Motor Show, former chief executive officer Wolfgang Durheimer claimed that Bentley “is committed to offering an electric model in its future portfolio and we are interested to receive feedback on this concept." The all-electric Bentley is not a question of if, but when will it happen.
This gets us to Auto Express, with the British motoring publication hearing through the grapevine that “work is underway on a pure EV that will harness some of the developments in the forthcoming Porsche Mission E.” Being twinned with Porsche’s electric sedan with coupe styling, the Bentley-badged alternative should also ride on the J1 platform, packing 600 electric ponies from a dual-motor configuration.
Design director Stefan Sielaff told Auto Express the newcomer “should be a four or five-seater and it should also have the possibility to carry a little bit of luggage, maybe not for five people,” adding: “I think we need to make sure that this family member is obviously new, and not imitating another concept we have already in the portfolio."
So let’s make a quick recap. Fully electric, more than two seats, something completely different from the EXP concepts. Reading between the lines, the Bentley EV is all but confirmed to share underpinnings with the Mission E.
Sielaff further claimed that the yet-unnamed model would go official in the nearest of futures. But on the other hand, Bentley still is “in the phase of trying to define what it could be.” Fret not, an all-electric SUV isn't in the cards for the time being.
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