Bentley backs down in the electric car race
The legendary British brand will recalculate its electrification plan due to demand that "is still not strong enough."
Bentley has decided to rethink its roadmap around electric cars and the brand's sustainability process and will offer combustion engine cars beyond 2030, thus cancelling the Beyond100 project, for which planned to become a 100% electric manufacturer starting in 2030.
Bentley's decision, confirmed by the brand's CEO, Frank-SteffenWalliser, in specialized media Autocar, responds to "insufficient demand from luxury segment customers," which forces a rethink of its future strategy. According to Walliser himself, "Bentley wants to become an electric brand, but it needs its customers to support it in this process." In other words, Bentley doesn't want to make cars that no one wants to buy, so it will continue to focus on current models with combustion engines until at least 2035.
A group decision
At this point, it's worth remembering that Bentley is just another brand within the Volkswagen Group, and while the group's mainstream brands—such as Volkswagen, Skoda, and Cupra—continue to grow in the electric segment, the reality is that aspirational brands—such as Audi and Porsche—and luxury brands—such as Lamborghini and Bentley—have decided to adapt to their own needs.
In fact, Bentley shares platforms, technologies, and mechanics with other Audi, Porsche, and Lamborghini models, which limits the development of new models for the brand and limits the possibility of creating fully electric models just for Bentley. Over the past few months, Audi and Porsche have announced a change in their electric strategy, which has ultimately had a decisive impact on Bentley.
Bentley's current range includes the Bentayga, Continental, and Flying Spur models, cars featuring powerful combustion engines that sell particularly well in the US and Middle Eastern markets, two areas where demand for combustion engines remains particularly high. Europe, on the other hand, has long since ceased to be the British brand's core market, and the new emissions thresholds set by the EU are not a key factor in the brand's financial viability.