Bentley wants to become an all-electric brand by 2035

In November 2020, Bentley announced as part of its ‘Beyond100’ strategy that the entire model range would be converted to fully electric vehicles by 2030. However, the VW luxury brand has now postponed this target to 2035.

The schedule change is part of the revised corporate strategy ‘Beyond100+’, which the new Bentley CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser, who has been in office since July, has now presented. The former Porsche Head of Development said: “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.” The programme is an adaptation to today’s economic, market and regulatory environment, Walliser continued.

Walliser’s predecessor Adrian Hallmark had already postponed the electric target to 2033 in March and announced that ‘hundreds of millions’ would be invested in plug-in hybrids for the transition period. The result of this change in strategy can now be seen: the Continental GT Coupé, the Continental GT Convertible and the Flying Spur are now being offered exclusively with the new Ultra Performance V8 plug-in hybrid drive, while production of the classic W12 engine in Crewe has been discontinued after more than 20 years.

Bentley’s first fully electric vehicle is now definitely due to be launched in 2026. The company expects it to “create an entirely new segment, the world’s first true Luxury Urban SUV,” according to the company. The electric vehicle will be designed, developed and produced at the headquarters in Crewe – and, according to earlier reports, will be based on the Platform Premium Electric (PPE), which was jointly developed by Audi and Porsche. Bentley has been subordinate to Audi in the VW Group since 2021.

Meanwhile, the construction of a ‘Dream Factory’ for Bentley’s electric future at its Crewe site is in full swing. A new design centre, a new paint shop and a new assembly line for electric cars are being built there. With a volume of 2.5 billion pounds, this is the largest self-financed investment programme in Bentley’s 105-year history.

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