The British luxury automaker has reported assembling its first pre-production test EV in Crewe, England. At the same time, the company announced plans to keep cars with internal combustion engines around until “at least 2035,” overriding an earlier promise to go all-electric by that year.
Most of these cars will be hybrids, Bentley said, but some could be free of electric components altogether. As for the automaker’s first and still-unnamed EV, it is an SUV said to be smaller than the current Bentayga. This isn’t saying much, because the latter is over 5 meters (16.4 ft) long, but we suppose the company is targeting the mid-size category.
Out of all possible specifications, charging speed is the only one revealed so far. Bentley claims replenishing enough power for 160 km (100 miles) of range only takes seven minutes. We should be able to learn more closer to the premiere in late 2026; the production and sales are scheduled for 2027.
According to the Bentley leadership, the continued production of hybrids and traditional ICE cars simply reflects the current market dynamic. By offering all kinds of powertrains to customers, the company can stay flexible in this tricky transition period and satisfy the demands of buyers with different needs.
In the same communication, the company said a new gas-powered car would premiere before the end of the year. It didn’t specify which one, but we suppose it’s the recently teased Continental GT Supersports. We still have no idea what kind of engine it uses, although a V8 seems the likeliest option.
Last but not least, the company hinted that other ICE vehicles might get approved into development and production in the near future. Apparently, the decision on whether to do it or not hasn’t been reached yet.
