Bentley pushes electrification plans due to lower demand

Bentley has pushed its timeline to become an EV-only manufacturer from 2030 to 2035. However, it will continue to develop PHEVs beyond 2030, until 2035. The debut EV from the Crewe-based firm – an Urban SUV – had been due next year. But in a manner similar to other car firms, Bentley has pushed back the timeline and the first EV is now due in 2026.

1. First Bentley EV will debut by 2026
2. Revised Beyond100 plan aims at going full-electric from 2035

In an interaction with our sister publication Autocar UK, new Bentley boss Frank-Steffen Walliser said the firm was “adapting to today’s economic, market and legislative environment” and called the new strategy “a major transformative plan for tomorrow”.

Bentley revealed its bold Beyond100 business strategy in 2020, with a plan to launch its first EV in 2025 and become an EV-only brand by 2030. But with slower-than-expected demand for EVs in the luxury segment, former Bentley boss Adrian Hallmark indicated earlier this year that the timing would be pushed back to 2032/33. The revised Beyond100 strategy now includes an “ambition” to be building only full-electric cars from 2035 onwards, and continuing with its successful line-up of PHEVs until then.

Following the discontinuation of the firm’s fabled W12 engine, the Continental GT and Flying Spur are now offered with a V8 PHEV powertrain. The new Beyond100 plan also states that Bentley will begin a decade-long programme of launching a new EV or PHEV model every year, starting with the eSUV in 2026. The company, however, has not confirmed how many of these 10 will be EVs and plug-in hybrids.

Bentley has also not yet indicated whether each of these vehicles will be an entirely new model or just powertrain variations of existing ones, but it hints at a significant expansion of the company’s line-up beyond the current range of four models. Meanwhile, the firm could continue to offer new pure-combustion models in the future. In fact, a new pure-combustion variant of the Bentayga is due next year.