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July 27, 2022 09:15 AM

Bentley delays launch of first full-electric car

CEO Adrian Hallmark did not give a reason for the delay of the EV, which is part of the Audi Artemis project.

Nick Gibbs
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    Bentley Flying Spur hybrid 2022

    The Flying Spur plug-in hybrid (shown) is one of only two electrified Bentley models, but the VW Group brand is investing billions to prepare for an electric-only lineup by 2030.

    Bentley has pushed back production of its first electric car to 2026 from 2025, CEO Adrian Hallmark said.

    Hallmark denied reports that software delays were responsible for the slip in timing for the car, which is part of Audi’s Artemis project.

    The car – expected to be a coupe -- will still be revealed in 2025 as planned, Hallmark said. The delay is a “matter of months,” he told Automotive News Europe.

    He gave no reason for the schedule change. Volkswagen Group, which owns Audi and Bentley, is working to a tight timetable to launch cars on the Scalable Systems Platform (SSP) electric architecture that will underpin cars in the Artemis project.

    Audi’s first car from the project has been delayed to the end of 2026, sources told Automotive News Europe sister publication Automobilwoche.

    • Read more: An interview with CEO Adrian Hallmark, who is preparing Bentley for an all-electric future.

    Bentley said in November 2020 that it would drop internal combustion engines from its cars by 2030 and switch its entire model range to full-electric vehicles. By 2026, the brand will only offer plug-in hybrid and full-electric models. Currently two electrified models are offered, the Flying Spur and Bentayga plug-in hybrids.

    Bentley plans to spend 2.5 billion pounds (3 billion euros) to electrify its range and overhaul its production facility in Crewe, England.

    Hallmark said the money to pay for the transformation came from Bentley itself after the brand reversed years of weak financial results to post record profits of 389 million euros in 2021 on deliveries of 14,659 cars. He confirmed the 2030 target for an electric-only lineup.

    Bentley said first quarter profits this year were up 162 percent to 170 million euros. VW Group first-half results will be announced on Thursday.

    'Demanding' development process

    The new EV will become the brand’s flagship car when it arrives, with one variant costing more than 250,000 euros, Hallmark told Automotive News Europe in an interview earlier this year. He promised the car would offer "effortless overtaking performance from a huge amount of torque on demand."

    The higher price is not a result of the cost of the battery, Hallmark said. “The 12-cylinder engine is about 10 times the price of the average premium car engine, and the average battery is less than our 12-cylinder engine. I can't wait for batteries, they’re cheap in relative terms,” he said.

    The SSP platform, also known as PPE (Premium Platform Electric), is being developed by Audi with input from Bentley. “We are right in the middle of that process, which is demanding because we have to do pre-development work that we never did with previous programs,” Hallmark said.

    Porsche last week confirmed plans for an electric SUV using a sports version of the SSP platform.

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