An all-new Bentley Mulsanne is due to arrive before the end of the decade, kick-starting the firm's radical electric era.
The new flagship model will be part of Bentley's recently announced five-in-five strategy, in which it will launch five electric models between 2025 and 2030.
The first of those cars, expected to be previewed later this year, has been described as a Mulsanne replacement because it will be the most expensive model in the marque’s line-up at that time, as the Mulsanne once was, but it will not share similar proportions. Instead, it will be a smaller saloon, riding higher to accommodate underfloor batteries.
Ultimately, though, a modern-day flagship, which will elevate pricing far beyond that of the former Mulsanne, will stand at the top of the lineup before 2030. This will allow Bentley to tap further into the super-luxury segment, ensuring high profit margins and the customisation expected by the mega-rich.
Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark told Autocar: “We’ve dropped out of the Mulsanne segment and that is something, if we look at the market, that is still attractive to us. It’s part of our historic strength to work in that segment.”
The final Mulsanne left the line at the firm’s Crewe plant in June 2020, marking the end of an 11-year production run for the model, of which more than 7300 examples were built. It was also the final machine to feature Bentley’s 6.75-litre V8 engine, the longest-serving V8 in continuous production.
While we know the Mulsanne as a four-door saloon, the upcoming model is likely to take a different approach, instead becoming a two-door, sportier-looking model.
The saloon segment of the super-luxury market has been declining for the past decade. In 2021, saloons accounted for 9.1% of the mix, compared with 21.6% in 2010, according to figures from Jato Dynamics.
That is largely attributed to the growth of SUVs, but with the Bentayga already accounting for half of Bentley’s sales, it is expected that the maker will take another direction with a next-generation Mulsanne in the form of a two-door model.
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I genuinely find reading about new washing machines more interesting that this.
It's like being told 'Women no longer exist, but don't worry - there are some great blow up dolls coming along.'
That green Autocar rendering looks fantastic, a really beautiful design. However, four doors versus two doors aside, it does look almost identical to the grey Audi Grandsphere, also pictured in this article.
So the new Bentley won't look anything like it. Nor does anything about it say "Bentley". Looks nice though.
It does seem with the birth of EV's that any manufacturer can come up with any designs they wish.
More mainstream car makers should be become bolder and push the envelope. In increasingly easy to match performance stats nowadays, I say, go for it. Dull looking cars are... Dull.
Agree, although only an Autocar "rendering" (they are getting as bad as AutoExpress for "scoops" IMHO) there is nothing remotely Bentley about it