Bentley's first EV charging towards launch despite scrapped EV-only goal

Bentley may have dropped its plan to become an electric-only brand earlier this year, but that doesn’t mean it’s throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Development of the brand’s first electric vehicle (EV) continues apace, and it’s taking the shape of a large battery-electric SUV underpinned by the same Premium Platform Electric (PPE) as the Porsche Cayenne Electric.

It’s set to be revealed in 2026, ahead of a 2027 launch.

Bentley is calling it the “first urban luxury SUV” and a “totally different type of Bentley”, and claims it will “create another segment”.

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“There’s nothing quite like it… the size and shape, with the quality of the craftsmanship and performance at the price point,” Bentley chief communications officer Wayne Bruce told CarExpert in November.

“It won’t be Bentayga Speed money. This hasn’t been decided yet, but it will be around entry Bentayga money,” he added, pointing to a price tag under $450,000.

Look past the trippy camouflage and you can see a long bonnet and muscular haunches like on other Bentley models such as the Continental.

Up front, there are ovoid headlights, with the daytime running lights and indicators separated from the main headlight assembly for that split-level look that’s all the rage in the 2020s.

The doors feature frameless windows and the belt line kicks up at the rear doors.

There’s a rakish C/D-pillar and tailgate treatment, and the overall look is a bit racier than the 5.1m-long Bentayga which the new model is set to slot in underneath, size-wise.

Inside, this prototype’s cabin appears production-ready apart from the missing badge on the steering wheel.

There’s a multi-function lighting and wiper stalk on one side of the steering column and a gear shifter on the other, while the centre stack appears to feature a curved screen. The interior is swathed in black and red leather, and we spy some classy wood inlays and knurled metal switches on the dash and steering wheel.

Bentley has said the production SUV will have some features teased in this year’s polarising EXP 15 concept, a 5.4m-long high-riding fastback, though it hasn’t specified which.

The EXP 15 features a digital front grille, while inside there’s a full-width digital dash that can be turned off and covered with wood veneer.

Bentley has confirmed its debut EV can recuperate 100 miles (161km) of range in just 6.5 minutes of charging – a figure that hints to DC fast-charging capability in excess of 350kW.

Power could be sourced from the same big 108kWh lithium-ion battery and dual electric motors found in the new Porsche Cayenne Electric, which generates up to 850kW of power and 1500Nm of torque in top-shelf Turbo form with launch control activated.

The same model can also sprint from 0-100km/h in a claimed 2.5 seconds.

The Cayenne Electric has an 800-volt electrical architecture, a peak DC fast-charge rate of 400kW, and up to 624km of WLTP range depending on the variant.

Bentley hasn’t christened its first EV yet, but it has trademarked the Barnato name – likely after Woolf Barnato, son of diamond magnate Barney Barnato, who was one of a group of wealthy Brits who raced Bentleys in the 1920s and who also invested heavily in the company.

The British automaker has also filed to protect the Mayon name. This is a volcano in the Philippines, and would fit in with the Bentayga which is named after Roque Bentayga, a rock formation in the Canary Islands.

Bentley originally planned to introduce its first EV this year, followed by a new electric model annually until 2030, but then wound back those plans due to market conditions and changing regulations.

Back in early 2024, Bentley’s then-CEO Adrian Hallmark also blamed the electric crossover’s delayed launch on technical issues encountered by Porsche and Audi during the development of the shared PPE architecture.

The Bentley EV could face a direct competitor in the shape of an expected electric SUV from Jaguar.

There’s been major upheaval in the luxury EV segment.

While Rolls-Royce has launched its electric Spectre and Jaguar is going full steam ahead with its reinvention as a more exclusive, electric-only brand, various car companies have softened or outright dropped their EV-only goals and delayed planned electric vehicles.

In addition to Bentley’s announcement in September it wouldn’t go EV-only from 2035, Lotus has scrapped plans to go all-EV and is launching plug-in hybrids; Ferrari has delayed its second EV due to low demand; Maserati nixed its planned MC20 Folgore electric supercar; and Lamborghini may ditch its planned first EV altogether.

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