Currently reading: Bentley boss lifts the lid on new electric sports car

If it's given the green light, Bentley's two-seat electric sports car will share its platform with Porsche and have a range of more than 300 miles

Bentley's all-electric sports car will be four-wheel drive, have a range of around 450-500km (up to 310 miles), and be based on the Porsche-developed J1 platform - if it makes production.

That's according to Bentley boss Wolfgang Dürheimer, who insists that the EXP 12 Speed 6e concept is a technology demonstrator for opening the debate on a future electric-powered Bentley. But he added: "If we do a two-seat roadster, this is how it will look."

"I'm fully behind this show car and what it shows for our future DNA and tech potential," Dürheimer said at the Geneva motor show.

Any additional model in the Bentley range wouldn't appear for another four years, he said, and his personal preference as to what it could be was "not that important".

He added: "I'm a businessman and I listen to the market and what customers want. Would they buy it for €200,000? If I'm convinced about the business case, I'll do everything to make it happen."

Dürheimer said he was studying worldwide segments, including sports cars and other SUVs, and that there was no need yet to make a decision on what a fourth Bentley model line would be. For now, it was important for "customers to decide and define EV motoring in the Bentley spirit".

When a decision does need to be made, however, it would appear to be between an even more luxurious and expensive SUV than the Bentley Bentayga, a crossover SUV smaller than the Bentayga, or the sports car. Whatever is chosen, it is likely to introduce electric technology, and the fact the Speed 6 has been seen twice now as a concept suggests that Bentley is building a serious case to bring it to market.

There will be no fully electric version of the next Continental GT, though. That model is set to be revealed later this year and is now in the final stages of development.

The Continental GT will get a plug-in hybrid version, however, as will every other Bentley in the range in the future.

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Mark Tisshaw

mark-tisshaw-autocar
Title: Editor

Mark is a journalist with more than a decade of top-level experience in the automotive industry. He first joined Autocar in 2009, having previously worked in local newspapers. He has held several roles at Autocar, including news editor, deputy editor, digital editor and his current position of editor, one he has held since 2017.

From this position he oversees all of Autocar’s content across the print magazine, autocar.co.uk website, social media, video, and podcast channels, as well as our recent launch, Autocar Business. Mark regularly interviews the very top global executives in the automotive industry, telling their stories and holding them to account, meeting them at shows and events around the world.

Mark is a Car of the Year juror, a prestigious annual award that Autocar is one of the main sponsors of. He has made media appearances on the likes of the BBC, and contributed to titles including What Car?Move Electric and Pistonheads, and has written a column for The Sun.

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Bazzer 7 March 2017

Right

Bentley still understand the importance of making all their concept cars right-hand drive, even at a foreign motor show. Pity Jaguar Land Rover lost that understanding some years back. JLR even show left-hand drive cars on their British website!
mercury30 7 March 2017

Usually concept cars have a

Usually concept cars have a touch of absurdity but, by dialling down some of the kookiness, this car already looks great.