Bentley to Continue With Petrol Engines, First Electric SUV Timeline Revealed

Bentley has confirmed it will continue offering petrol engines for its current line-up—the Continental GT, Flying Spur, and Bentayga and will even ...

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For decades, Bentley has been a symbol of British luxury, with cars like the Continental GT, Flying Spur, and Bentayga which are famous for blending comfort, speed, and exclusivity. While most carmakers are rushing to go fully electric, Bentley has taken a slightly different path, as it has just confirmed that it will continue offering petrol engines for its current line-up, even as it prepares for an electric future, according to Autocar UK.

In a recent interview, Bentley CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser told Autocar UK that the company is even planning pure-petrol successors for its most popular models. This is a huge change from earlier announcements, where Bentley said that future versions of these cars would only come as plug-in hybrids (PHEVs)

or fully electric vehicles (EVs).

Walliser explained, “There is a dip in demand for luxury electric vehicles, and customer demand is not yet strong enough to support an all-electric strategy. The luxury market is a lot different today from when we announced Beyond100.”

In simple words, buyers of ultra-luxury cars still want petrol engines, and Bentley doesn’t want to compromise on them.

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That update doesn’t mean Bentley is ignoring electric cars. The first Bentley EV, which will be an urban SUV, will be revealed in 2026. And soon after that, the brand plans to launch at least one plug-in hybrid or EV model every year.

Previously, Bentley wanted to stop making petrol cars by 2030 under its Beyond100 strategy. But now, that deadline has been pushed to 2035, partly because of slower-than-expected demand for luxury EVs. “Electrification is still our goal, but we need to take our customers with us,” the CEO added.

Bentley isn’t the only luxury brand slowing down its EV push, but its sister companies under the Volkswagen Group, which are Porsche and Audi have also rolled back their electrification timelines.

For more luxury brand updates, stay tuned to Times Now Auto.