Bentley won't re-engineer debut EV to take combustion engine

Bentley won’t retrofit its incoming debut EV with a combustion engine like rival Lotus has done in response to lacking interest in the luxury electric segment.

Crewe’s first electric model, dubbed Luxury Urban EV by Bentley, will be revealed in the second half of this year. It was previously pencilled to arrive in 2025.

CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser said the car would be positioned solely as an EV and so re-engineering the platform to accommodate combustion power in the form of a range-extender powertrain – mirroring what Lotus has done with the Eletre X – was not being considered. 

This was despite the drop in buyer interest for premium EVs, which was what prompted Lotus’s decision. Walliser said that “one of the tricky tasks that we are heading for” is in determining “who is really interested and how big is the market” for premium EVs.

Regardless, he said Bentley has “no intention to put an ICE engine in or to put a plug-in hybrid drivetrain in” and also admitted that it was also “technically not feasible” to do so with the car’s PPE platform, but did not explain further.

Walliser added that it was also “not part of our strategy” as he sees the PHEV Bentayga as the combustion alternative to the incoming EV. 

“Part of the Bentley strategy is not to replace a car,” he said. “So Bentayga will continue, so we don't have to, let me call it, force people to change from a combustion engine or plug-in hybrid car to an electric car. 

“So we are targeting and looking for new customers [with the EV].”

Little has been revealed about the EV to date, but Walliser described it as “a different proposition” to what “other competitors are doing”, adding: “I strongly believe we have a very interesting offer.”

Ahead of its arrival, its capabilities can be gauged by looking at the incoming Porsche Cayenne Electric with which it will share much technically. That SUV is offered exclusively with dual-motor, four-wheel-drive powertrains putting out as much as 1140bhp. A 113kWh battery helps achieve a range of up to 398 miles.

Bentley R&D boss Matthias Rabe previously said that the EV – of which its official name has yet to be announced – was “very comfortable like a Flying Spur and agile like a Continental GT” while also possessing “very fast” 0-100mph and 0-200mph times. He added that it will be “the best Bentley on the road”.