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New Delhi: Bentley was among the earliest carmakers to announce plans to go the electric way. Five years ago, Crewe had promised to get rid of combustion engines completely by the end of the decade. However, in 2024, the circumstances changed when former CEO Adrian Hallmark revealed the brand's plans to continue selling plug-in hybrids beyond 2030. At that time, the EV-only lineup had been predicted to be coming in 2033.
When Frank-Steffen Walliser was appointed CEO, the timeline for that was pushed back until 2035. However, now Walliser has told Autocar that the demand for luxury electric vehicles is dipping, and the demand isn’t good enough for them to go completely electric and even said that since announcing Beyond100, the world had changed by miles.
In fact, the slower-than-expected EV uptake in the upper end of the market had already made Porsche and Audi stick with combustion engines for a longer timespan. As Bentley is tied to the Volkswagen Group brands, it too is holding some of the same principles. Ingolstadt and Zuffenhausen will continue for now to invest in ICE, giving Bentley access to the newest powertrain technology.
Cars like Continental GT, Flying Spur and Bentayga SUV will come in the drivetrain option of ICE only, along with the usual mix of plug-in hybrids and the forthcoming EVs. Bentley’s first all-electric model was initially scheduled for 2025 but has been delayed for a year. It will be an SUV smaller than the Bentayga, with a preview given in the outlandish EXP 15 concept.
However, another VW Group brand, Lamborghini, also postponed their first EV. The Lanzador was initially scheduled for 2028, but due to poor, expensive EV demand, it has been pushed to 2029. When it does arrive, the car might still come with an ICE, with CEO Winkelmann more supportive of a plug-in hybrid version.
It really has gone a long way from how it looked at the start of the decade. With the ban on ICE car sales from 2035 from the European Union, it is thought that all of this will be reviewed at the end of the year. The idea is that at least PHEVs could remain legal beyond the end date.
The car industry is pushing for the PHEV as it seems more ideal and convenient, though many of the brands feel that they would betray anything without ICE. It is going to be interesting to see how the industry shapes up, with a third push for synthetic fueling.
