Bentley Ungungkan Intention To Become An Electric Car Manufacturer Completely, Pilihlanjutkan Produksi Mobil ICE

Flying Spur Azure (hybrid). (Photo: Bentley)

JAKARTA Bentley Motors surprisingly canceled their ambitious strategy to become an all-electric car manufacturer by 2035.

The British luxury car manufacturer is now rumored to be planning to continue producing pure gasoline-powered models for its successors to flagship models such as Bentayga, Continental GT, and Flying Spur.

This change of course was triggered by a similar decision made by their brothers at the Volkswagen Group, namely Porsche. Last week, Porsche announced an investment of 3.1 billion euros to extend the age of internal combustion engine (ICE) powered models. With the same platform and components among the three, decisions in Stuttgart and Ingolstadt directly impacted Bentley on Crewe.

Quoted from Autocar, Tuesday, September 23, Bentley CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser, confirmed that this adjustment reflects changing market conditions.

"There is a decrease in demand for luxury electric vehicles, and customer demand is not strong enough to support the all-electric strategy," he said.

However, Bentley does not completely leave electrification. The company still plans to launch a new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or electric model every year starting in 2026, starting with an all-electric urban SUV. Investments at the Crewe plant are continuing, with the construction of electric model assembly lines and new design centers.

However, with Volkswagen Group's support for gasoline engine technology, Bentley now has room to continue offering pure gasoline-powered models longer than originally thought. The decision was also driven by strong demand from key markets such as the Middle East and North America, where consumers still really like conventional engines.