Volkswagen-owned luxury carmaker Bentley has announced plans to launch its first electric vehicle (EV), a 'luxury urban SUV', in 2026.
The brand has also confirmed it will continue to sell plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) until 2035, moving away from its initial goal of becoming fully electric by 2030.
The upcoming electric Bentley will be designed, developed, and produced at the company’s headquarters in Crewe.
This SUV will be the first of a new plug-in hybrid or fully electric model to be launched every year over the next decade, Bentley says.
Bentley is advancing its product and investment strategy with the goal of producing only fully electric vehicles by 2035.
The shift in strategy comes as other manufacturers, including Volvo Cars, have also reconsidered their ambitious targets for electrification, reported Reuters.
After a record year in 2022, Bentley experienced an 11% drop in vehicle sales for 2023, as high-end consumers globally faced rising costs and slowing economies.
In addition, the Continental GT coupe, Convertible, and Flying Spur models are now exclusively available with an Ultra Performance plug-in V8 hybrid powertrain, following the discontinuation of Bentley’s iconic W12 engine after over twenty years of production in Crewe.
Bentley Motors chairman and CEO Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser said: “Four years almost to the day that Bentley initially outlined its Beyond100 strategy, we adapt to today’s economic, market and legislative environment to initiate a major transformative phase for tomorrow.
“Beyond100+ becomes our guiding light as we extend our ambitions beyond 2030, while maintaining our aim of a decarbonised future, including offering only fully electric cars from 2035, and reinforcing our credentials as the British creator of extraordinary cars for over a century and beyond.”
In July 2024, Bentley Motors, a Volkswagen Group subsidiary, marked the structural completion of its new design centre in Crewe, UK, with a topping-out ceremony.
The facility is set to be finished next year.
