Bentayga EV Might Be Bentley’s First Battery-Powered Model
According to a recent report, the Bentayga nameplate will probably be Bentley’s first model to receive an electric-only powertrain.
Back in March, Bentley introduced a one-off plug-in hybrid version of the Bentayga, which the British luxury automaker built especially for a Chinese customer. The “green” Bentayga Hybrid also marked the debut of Bentley’s Beyond 100 strategy, and we expect the PHEV will be launched sometime later this year.
According to a recent Car Magazine report, the Bentayga nameplate will also be the automaker’s first model to receive an electric-only powertrain. In November last year, Bentley confirmed that it will be phasing out all internal combustion models by 2030. The battery-powered Bentayga will mark the dawn of Bentley’s EV age.
The British publication’s report also confirmed industry rumors, which suggested that Bentley will try and capitalize on its parent company, Volkswagen’s scaling and distribution capability for its forthcoming EVs. The British automotive magazine reports that if Bentley decides to build a Bentayga EV, the SUV will be based on Volkswagen’s Artemis vehicle platform, which will also underpin Audi’s upcoming Tesla Model S rival.
Chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors Limited, Adrian Hallmark told Car Magazine, “With our current cars, we had to get into the engineering largely after they [the platforms] had been done. The difference now is that with Artemis we’re right in there at the beginning, helping define it. We’re not leading it, but we’re going to be a beneficiary of it.”
Bentley’s sister company, Audi is also aggressively electrifying its product portfolio. The company recently introduced its Q4 e-tron and Q-4 Sportback e-tron EVs. It stands to reason that future Audi and Porsche models will also use the Artemis platform to develop their battery-powered SUV offerings.
“Looking forward to electrification, we’re going to have closer synergies with Audi. But we will continue to have strong relationships with both brands [Audi and Porsche], and we see this as an opportunity, not a risk. No question – we are electrifying. And we need to find the best way to fast-track that, and to lead the technology charge.” said Hallmark.
Weight management is currently the most daunting challenge for the British automaker. The CEO also revealed that 39 percent of Bentley customers are planning on switching to a battery-powered model. Hallmark, however, refrained from confirming whether or not Bentley is developing an Artemis-based Bentayga but hinted at the possibility by saying, “If you’re not in SUVs, you’re nowhere.”
Image Source: Bentley