Bentley stays in the middle of ‘Dip in question for luxury EVs’ for gas engines

Bentley was one of the first car manufacturers to enthusiastically announced plans to jump on the electric bandwagon. Five years ago, Crewe promised towards the end of the decade to abolish combustion cars. The reality struck in 2024, when former CEO Adrian Hallmark revealed that the company would continue to sell plug-in hybrids after 2030. At that time, the EV-Alleen portfolio was expected to arrive in 2033.

After Frank-Steffen Walliser was appointed CEO, the goal was pushed further, this time until 2035. Now even the middle of the next decade no longer seems realistic. Bentley’s boss told Coach That question for high -quality EVs has not met the original estimates of the company:

‘There is a dip in demand for luxury electric vehicles, and the customer’s demand is not yet strong enough to support a fully electrical strategy. The luxury market is a lot different today than when we announced nearly 100 [outlined in November 2020]. ‘

Slower-dan expected EV recording in the top of the market has already forced Porsche and Audi to keep themselves longer than planned for combustion engines. Because Bentley is deeply connected to this Volkswagen Group brands, it also holds ice. Ingolstadt and Zuffenhausen will continue to invest in gas engines, giving Bentley access to the latest powertrain technology.

Consequently, cars such as the Continental GT, Flying Spur and the Bentayga SUV will only retain gas drives, in addition to the usual mix of plug-in hybrids and upcoming EVs. The first fully electric model from Bentley was initially planned for 2025, but was delayed by a year. It will be an SUV slightly smaller than the Bentayga, an example of the design by the bizarre exp 15 concept.

Another VW Group brand, Lamborghini, has also postponed its first EV. The Lanzador was initially planned for 2028, but was pushed to 2029 because of the weakening demand for expensive EVs. When it comes, the car can still have a combustion engine, as CEO Stephan Winkelmann recently left the door open for a plug-in hybrid version of the Grand Tourer with four seats.

This backpender emphasizes how the market has deviated from what luxury brands have in mind at the start of the decade. Yet the European Union is still planning to ban new ice car sales from 2035, so that car manufacturers remain trapped between a rock and a hard place. The prohibition will be revised before the end of this year and offer a spark of hope that PHEVs can at least remain legal after the current closing date.