New Delhi: British luxury marque Bentley has committed to an electric-only powertrain for their upcoming debut EV, confirming that the underlying platform won’t be re-engineered to come with combustion-powered trims in the future. This follows after its rival brand Lotus launched a plug-in hybrid version of the Eletre luxury SUV, which had originally arrived as an EV-only.
Bentley has been working on their debut EV car, dubbed the ‘Luxury Urban EV’, for some time now, with a formal debut set to happen in the second half of 2026. The Luxury EV is said to be an all-electric SUV riding on the Volkswagen Group’s PPE (Premium Platform Electric) skateboard.
The Bentley Luxury EV will rival the likes of Porsche Cayenne Electric, Lotus Eletre, upcoming Range Rover Electric and even a Rolls-Royce electric. The main reason for Lotus offering a PHEV version of the Eletre was due to the waning interest in the luxury EV space. Bentley has confirmed this wasn’t going to be their Luxury Urban EV.
Bentley CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser told Autocar UK that there was “no intention to put any ICE or plug-in hybrid drivetrain’ in their electric SUV. He noted that PHEV and ICE trims of the Luxury Urban EV were not part of the brand’s strategy and feels the Bentayga PHEV (currently not available in India), as the right alternative engine-powered SUV to the upcoming electric one.
Bentley’s powertrain game for EV
Bentayga’s PHEV comes with a 3.0-litre turbo V6 hybrid powertrain making 462 bhp and 900 Nm, along with an 18 kWh battery that has a claimed all-electric range of 45 km. Walliser noted that for Bentley, it was important to see what the demand is and was certain they had something unique to offer.
With carmakers scrapping or scaling down EV plans, it is interesting how Bentley is doubling down on their offers. While nothing much is known about the drivetrain Bentley will use, one can guess that its cousin Cayenne electric, gets a 113 kWh, dual-motor AWD powertrain that makes something around or above 1,000 bhp, and the British brand might also employ this same powertrain only.