Bentley EXP12 Speed 6e roadster concept is all-electric

The electric Bentley EXP12 Speed 6e roadster concept has been unveiled at the Geneva motor show, illustrating the carmaker’s growing interest in electric propulsion.

The two-seater luxury car develops many of the themes first expressed in the EXP10 coupé concept unveiled in Geneva two years ago. It also signals the direction of Bentley’s thinking about the shape of the fifth model line to which Bentley CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer has often referred.

Designed in Bentley’s Crewe studios under design director Stefan Sielaff, the EXP12’s body mixes traditional Bentley design cues — such as the mesh grille and strong rear haunches — with new low-nose proportions for a Bentley.

The familiar mesh grille has been revised and set low at the front of the car, with a wide air scoop below that, running right across. There are suggestions of an aerodynamic splitter, with a chin detail at its edges faintly reminiscent of a battery heat-sink. The bonnet features a familiar ‘sighting’ crease down the centre line — in order to keep aerodynamic drag under control.

Bentley hasn’t revealed much about the powertrain, but evidence from the car’s impressive instrument graphics suggests a 483km range and a four-wheel-drive powertrain, consisting of a pair of motors mounted between the wheels – one at the front and one at the back.

There’s no detail about battery location, but the low seating positions and the high centre console suggest it might be carried in a T- shape, running down the spine of the car and then across it, behind the occupants.

Close inspection reveals diamond-shaped pieces of copper mounted at every intersection of the grille’s mesh pieces. The detail is an allusion to the car’s electric powertrain, according to John Paul ‘JP’ Gregory, head of exterior design, and it was also used less prominently on Bentley’s Mulsanne hybrid.

“It’s right for an electric Bentley,” said Gregory. “It’s a precious material and an authentic one. We’ve used copper in little details all over the car.”

Inside, the seat patterns feature a style of diamond stitching known as ‘kilting’, which echoes the grille shape and sets a theme for door inners. In the centre console, there’s a multi-function rotary switch that selects motion (forward, neutral, reverse) plus a neat little copper paddle above that determines the driving mode.

Bentley is remaining tight-lipped on whether the EXP12 Speed 6e roadster will make production, confirming only that customers will help it decide.

Take a look at the other cars present at the Geneva motor show 2017 in our image gallery.