Bentley Announces Postponement Of First EV Presence, Wants To Focus On Hybrid Cars

Bentley Flying Spur and Bentayga with PHEV technology. (Doc.Bentley Motors)

JAKARTA - Bentley, a luxury automotive manufacturer from England, will delay launching its first electric vehicle (EV) and at the same time postpone plans to become an EV brand in 2030.

Carrying the spirit of Beyond 100, this brand will initially present its inaugural EV in 2025, before withdrawing to 2026 and will be delivered to customers a year later.

Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark said that the delay was due to technical issues related to software and platforms and would shift focus to the hybrid segment.

"Due to the first BEV delay and due to all the changes in this condition, we invested more in hybrid vehicles," Hallmark said.

So, Bentley will stick to the initial plan launched in 2020, which is to transfer all of its models from a pure combustion engine to a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) car that is on the rise.

"We have seen an increase in acceptance and demand for hybrid vehicles," added Hallmark.

Currently, the company has sold a number of cars with the PHEV system consisting of Flying Spur and Bentayga. Following the two, Bentley will switch a number of models to this drivetrain such as the Continental GT next summer.

Hallmark added that it may sell hybrid vehicles longer until the end of the decade seeing the increasing growth of this segment and predicting to bring all lines of electric vehicles after 2030.

"This gives us more opportunities and guarantees that the implementation of the BEV is slower," concluded Hallmark.