Bentley Shelves EV Plans As Current Lineup Will Be Replaced Soon

Bentley is preparing petrol successors to the Bentayga, Continental GT and Flying Spur models, which is contrary to their earlier plans for purely electric novelties.

As part of the previously announced Beyond100 strategy, the British luxury car manufacturer planned to eliminate gasoline engines by 2035. But it is now set for significant changes after Volkswagen Group sister company Porsche announced changes to its electrification plans.

A few days ago, Porsche confirmed that it will allocate 3.1 billion euros to extend the production life of its models with internal combustion engines. This includes in particular, the new “top” models of the next generation 718 Boxster and Cayman, as well as the flagship “K1” SUV model.

Volkswagen Group member Audi last year canceled its plan to switch to electric motors only by 2033.

Bentley CEO Frank-Stephen Walliser told Autocar that because the three brands share platforms, powertrains and other key components, decisions and investments in Stuttgart and Ingolstadt have direct consequences for Bentley. He confirmed that Bentley still plans to launch a new plug-in hybrid or electric model every year from 2026, starting with its first electric vehicle, an “urban SUV”.

But with Porsche and Audi continuing to invest heavily in ICE technology for their best-selling cars, he said Bentley now has room to balance its powertrain mix more toward traditional gasoline further into the next decade than originally anticipated.

As such, the pure petrol successors to the Bentayga, Continental GT and Flying Spur will remain part of the range, reflecting demand from key markets such as the Middle East and North America. They were originally expected to be offered only with PHEV or electric powertrains.

Supporting the decision, Walliser said: “There has been a decline in demand for luxury electric vehicles, and customer demand is still not strong enough to support an all-electric strategy. The luxury vehicle market today is much different from when we announced the Beyond100. “Electrification is still our goal, but we have to take our customers with us.”

Despite the change of course, investment in the Bentley plant in Crewe continues, with a new assembly line for electric models.

Bentley has already pushed back its goal of becoming an all-electric brand from 2030 to 2035, citing slowing demand in the luxury electric vehicle market. The Volkswagen Group’s new direction and multi-billion investment in internal combustion engine models is expected to reinforce that decision.

• Also See: A “Hardcore” Bentley Continental GT Without A Hybrid Could Be Made