Bentley to Reveal Fifth Model — Sitting at “the Pinnacle of its Range”
There’s set to be plenty of news coming from Bentley during the next few years as the British ultra-luxury marque begins evolving into a fully electric brand. But the automaker took us by surprise on Friday, releasing a terse teaser promising to reveal “a fifth model” on Tuesday, May 10.
Exactly what’s in store is hard to discern. Bentley’s statement suggests this new product will sit at “the pinnacle of its range.” But the visuals accompanying the news release don’t offer much guidance as to what’s in store — showing only a stylishly lit door speaker panel with an array of rhomboid cut-outs.
Could this be an all-electric model? There’s nothing to suggest that. But the statement does have us leaning towards a new flagship that might fill the gap where the grand Mulsanne sedan once topped the line-up. That said, in today’s automotive world, a conventional four-door would almost be an anachronism. This leaves open the possibility of an even more luxurious crossover than the current Bentayga.
A handful of clues
“Bentley will announce a fifth model to join its portfolio of luxury cars at 12:30 BST on Tuesday 10th May. The company’s designers, engineers and craftspeople have gone to new lengths to combine luxury, technology and performance in a way that only Bentley can deliver. With an extra dimension of on-board wellness, the new model will sit in sumptuous comfort at the pinnacle of its range and deliver a breadth of capabilities beyond anything previously offered,” the statement released by Bentley said in its entirety.
Pulling this apart does offer some clues — in part by omission. There is simply nothing in the statement to suggest a battery-electric vehicle, despite the fact that the automaker has outlined a strategy that will see it switch entirely to electric drive technology by 2028. Beyond the hybrid Bentayga, a battery-powered model is expected to show up — but not until sometime in 2025, with another four by the end of the decade.
There had long been talk of adding an “entry” line for the Bentley brand, something that would slot below the Continental series. There’s nothing to suggest that in the statement. Quite the contrary. This new model appears quite likely to supersede the current Bentley flagship, the Flying Spur — and fill the vacancy at the top left by the departure of the Mulsanne in 2020.
A Fitbit on wheels?
As for “an extra dimension of on-board wellness,” we know that several suppliers are working up the automotive equivalent of wearable technologies. Could Bentley be blending the capabilities of a Fitbit into this fifth model? It would be quite possible for the vehicle to monitor an occupant’s heartrate and other vitals. And we already have products that dispense scents that could impact mood, even help clear up allergies.
As for that reference to “a breadth of capabilities beyond anything previously offered,” that leaves open a whole range of possibilities. Despite its hefty mass, today’s Bentayga offers some impressive capabilities, both on-road and off. It’s hard to imagine that the new model would be even more off-road oriented. And while flying cars could eventually become a real part of the luxury market, that technology is far from ready for production.
Perhaps a partially electrified model that delivers both extended range and performance could live up to the teaser’s promise.
A super-premium SUV seems likely
Pulling it all together, and harkening back to some comments made by Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark leaves us expecting to see a new SUV, possibly using some hybrid assist technology that will push even higher up the price and capabilities scale than today’s Bentayga. If so, it would seem likely to come as a more direct challenge to the Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
We hope to ferret out a bit more detail in the coming days, but we’ll know for sure May 10.
Auto Lovers Land
Comments
Post a Comment