Bentley News: Next Flying Spur May Get Hybrid Option, Mulsanne Successor To Possibly Go Full Electric

[William Maley]

Last week, we brought you news that Bentley is planning to catch up on the electrification trend that a number of other automakers are ahead on. We now have some possible details as to some of their plans.

The next-generation Flying Spur, due out towards the end of the year could be the second Bentley model to be offered with a hybrid powertrain.

"Obviously Bentayga is our highest volume car so that’s the first one we have to hybridise. The next volume car is probably going to be the saloon car, so if you wanted a second car just for compliance, then that would normally be the next selection," said Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark to Autocar.

Hallmark said "possibly" when asked if said sedan could be the Flying Spur. He said a decision would come in the next six months.

Then there is the successor to the Mulsanne. Autocar has learned that Bentley is debating whether or not they will do "a like-for-like replacement" to the current Mulsanne or something else. One possibility is to make the replacement a pure electric vehicle as a forward-looking flagship model. This could happen if next-generation battery technology arrives before the end of the Mulsanne's production run - expected in the early 2020s. 

Source: Autocar, 2

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[riviera74]

Why have a hybrid powertrain on a car costing north of $250K when you can go full electric instead?  Asking for a friend (who can afford one).

[frogger]

17 minutes ago, riviera74 said:

Why have a hybrid powertrain on a car costing north of $250K when you can go full electric instead?  Asking for a friend (who can afford one).

I agree.. Most spending $250k on a car are not going to go on a 500+ mile roadtrip with one, their time is money and they will fly and have a high end rental at their destination.  A high end EV makes more sense.