The Bentley SUV Models
The Bentley SUV Models
The Bentley SUV Models
The Bentley SUV Models
The Bentley SUV Models
The Bentley SUV Models
The Bentley SUV Models
The Bentley’s models, has been conceived with a unique body and interior – the latter foregoing the Audi’s seven-seat layout for a more commodious five-seat arrangement. Production of the proposed model had been rejected by Bentley boss Franz-Josef Paefgen in a boardroom debate last December, and a senior Bentley insider told Autocar that he was also strongly against the idea of a 4x4.
But there remains a strong lobby of support for the new car, and the Bentley boss could be overruled by the upper echelons of VW, which is keen to see the British car maker’s production volume rise above 10,000 annually in the long term. ‘At this level Bentley can be self-sustaining,’ said a high-ranking Wolfsburg insider. ‘With the existing range that is only possible for one or two years at best.
Now that the luxury SUV market does not show any signs of slowing down but rather keeps going, Bentley is about to develop a genuine production 4x4 SUV, this time based on the next generation VW Touareg-Porsche Cayenne platform. Development of this platform is currently being tested by using various existing Cayenne mules. The Bentley 4x4 SUV is expected to be powered by a 6.0 litre Twin Turbo W12 engine from the Bentley Continental GT delivering 560 HP. There is also the possibility of endowing the BY616 with hybrid power, boosting the W12 with electric motors. Such a set-up is being readied for the Q7, according to Audi chairman Martin Winterkorn, which would make it easily adaptable for the Bentley.