Photo: Bentley
Instead of spinning off Bentley, the Volkswagen Group decided to keep the ultra-luxury brand under its ownership for the time being. The British company has been forced to make a concession, though, in order to survive the CO2-related challenges that affect the entire automotive industry. Lest we forget, Ford of Europe has to buy carbon credits from greener automakers to hit the fleet-average emissions target this year.
Come 2026, the Crewe-based manufacturer will switch to plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles to the detriment of ICE-only options. Fast-forward to 2030, and that’s when electric vehicles will phase out the plug-in hybrids.
As part of this transformation, Bentley is bidding farewell to one of the engines that we associate with the British automaker since Volkswagen took over control of it. The W12 that outputs a ton of torque thanks to 6.0 liters of displacement and a pair of thumpin’ great turbochargers is going the way of the dodo, and 2026 is the final year of the gentle giant.
“No more W12” confirmed a representative to Autoblog, which leads us to believe that V8s and V6s will have to make do until 2030.
When you think about this scenario, it’s not that big of a deal to lose an engine in order to meet ever-stringent CO2 requirements. But on the other hand, a Bentley with fewer than twelve cylinders isn’t as – dare I say it – special as one with a W12. Looking at the bigger picture, we’re nitpicking here because every ultra-luxury brand will have to make compromises in the coming decade to keep the business afloat.
Excluding the Conti GT-based special edition known as the Bacalar, the most powerful W12 currently utilized by Bentley is good for 635 PS and 900 Nm. That’s 626 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque in U.S. currency, which is more than adequate for vehicles that tip the scales at more than two tonnes. The Bentayga Speed for the 2021 model year, for example, is a heavy son of a gun at 2,508 kilograms (5,529 pounds).
As part of this transformation, Bentley is bidding farewell to one of the engines that we associate with the British automaker since Volkswagen took over control of it. The W12 that outputs a ton of torque thanks to 6.0 liters of displacement and a pair of thumpin’ great turbochargers is going the way of the dodo, and 2026 is the final year of the gentle giant.
“No more W12” confirmed a representative to Autoblog, which leads us to believe that V8s and V6s will have to make do until 2030.
When you think about this scenario, it’s not that big of a deal to lose an engine in order to meet ever-stringent CO2 requirements. But on the other hand, a Bentley with fewer than twelve cylinders isn’t as – dare I say it – special as one with a W12. Looking at the bigger picture, we’re nitpicking here because every ultra-luxury brand will have to make compromises in the coming decade to keep the business afloat.
Excluding the Conti GT-based special edition known as the Bacalar, the most powerful W12 currently utilized by Bentley is good for 635 PS and 900 Nm. That’s 626 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque in U.S. currency, which is more than adequate for vehicles that tip the scales at more than two tonnes. The Bentayga Speed for the 2021 model year, for example, is a heavy son of a gun at 2,508 kilograms (5,529 pounds).
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