Bentley currently has a couple of plug-in hybrids, the Flying Spur and the Bentayga. It’s a start. In 2026, Bentley will only give its customers a choice between plug-in hybrids and its first electric model, culminating in an exclusively electric range in 2030. Regarding what we already knew, the first electric model will be delayed a few months, although it will debut anyway in 2025.
Adrian Hallmark, head of Bentley, denied rumors that Volkswagen Group software problems are behind this delay, although he has not explained why. If we stick to its version, it is a question of development, carried out together with Audi: «We are in the middle of the process, which is demanding because we have to do pre-development work that we never had to do in other programs. “
The same is going to happen with the first car of the Audi Artemis project, reserved attribution sources confirmed to Automobilwoche that it will be delayed until the end of 2026. The crux of the matter is the hardware part, not the software part if we trust what the executive tells us.
Bentley has no experience with 100% electric cars, but Audi does. It refers to the Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), formerly known as Premium Platform Electric (PPE), which will be the basis for high-end models within the Group. Porsche will also have a derivative of this platform, specifically an SUV larger than the Cayenne and that could have a third row of seats.
The UK-based manufacturer sees electric cars as a natural evolution of luxury cars. For example, Hallmark referred to the comparison of V12 engines and batteries: “The 12-cylinder engine is about 10 times more expensive than the average price of a premium car engine, and the average batteries are cheaper than a 12-cylinder.”. I can’t wait for the batteries, they are relatively cheap. “
And this statement makes a lot of sense because the V12 engines have not finished disappearing due to their silky power delivery (there are always three cylinders making force at the same time), the force they can give, and their exclusivity. Electric cars have even smoother power delivery at a lower cost, and in terms of numbers, Hallmark had already said that the first electric Bentley will have 1,044 kW/1,419 hp, far more than any V12. Surely it will be a coupé and will cost more than 250,000 euros.
