LONDON, Jan 2 — In an interview with Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark, published by Automotive News Europe earlier this week, consumers shouldn’t expect to see an all-electric Bentley until 2025 or later.
Bentley’s future is “all about electrification,” despite the company not having plans to launch an all-electric model until 2025 or later.
Adrian Hallmark, current CEO of Bentley, told Automotive News Europe that “2025 is the earliest we can get a credible battery-electric Bentley [on the road].” As of right now, the company is still in the process of determining where these EVs can potentially be developed — in existing or in brand-new facilities.
Hallmark states that the first EVs will have to be new vehicles, though they won’t necessarily have to have a brand-new name plate. He claims that simply swapping out a combustion engine for batteries would significantly compromise vehicle performance; therefore, which segment the electric model will be in is still up in the air. Considering that Bentley is owned by Volkswagen, it’s possible that the model could be built upon one of the company’s existing battery-friendly platforms.
As EV fanatics await the Bentley rendition, they can opt for the brand’s one and only hybrid model, the Bentayga SUV. Though it still has a V6 under the hood, it’s a bit greener than the other models in the Bentley portfolio. — AFP-Relaxnews
