- Bentley has deserted its plan to solely promote EVs by 2030
- Bentley nonetheless plans to launch its first EV in late 2026
- Rivals Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce nonetheless anticipated to launch a number of EVs this decade
Bentley solely two years in the past was dedicated to launching 5 electrical automobiles this decade on the highway to turning into a pure EV model as quickly as 2030. Nevertheless, the slowdown in EV development this yr has the automaker rethinking these plans.
Talking with Automotive and Driver in an interview revealed on Wednesday, Bentley CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser stated patrons in luxurious segments nonetheless need gasoline engines, whether or not that is as a standalone powertrain or paired with a plug-in hybrid system.
“What we see within the luxurious market proper now (is that) folks reject electrical automobiles,” Walliser, who solely took over the reins at Bentley on July 1, instructed Automotive and Driver. “They think about luxurious automobiles solely with the combustion engine.”
Consequently, Bentley will decelerate the rollout of recent EVs and can solely aspire to turning into a full EV model by the mid-2030s, Walliser stated, versus setting the objective as a tough goal.
Frank-Steffen Walliser
The automaker nonetheless plans to stay to its objective of launching its first EV in late 2026, a automobile Walliser reaffirmed could be in a brand new section. He stated Bentley is just too small to have the ability to provide each an EV and a mannequin with a gasoline engine in the identical section, as a result of restricted return on funding.
As an alternative of changing its present lineup with EVs, because the automaker had initially deliberate, Bentley will now introduce plug-in hybrid expertise throughout the vary, which it’s within the strategy of doing with its up to date Continental GT and Flying Spur fashions.
Walliser in his interview with Automotive and Driver stated there should still be a spot for fashions powered purely by a gasoline engine, for instance in low-volume particular editions or if carbon-neutral e-fuels turn out to be widespread.
Whereas Bentley is firming down its EV plans, archrival Rolls-Royce is predicted to press forward with the launch of an electrical SUV and electrical sedan to affix its Spectre electrical coupe. Aston Martin additionally has a number of EVs on the drafting board, although the automaker has hinted that these could also be pushed again.
