Even Bentley is getting into the plug-in car game. The company known for its rather shitty cars 😉 has stated that its upcoming SUV model will have a plug-in hybrid option by 2017. Not only that — the luxury car manufacturer will be hybridizing all of its new models.
“The SUV will be the first Bentley hybrid because it’s based on a new platform with new technology. You need space for batteries and the technology, so we probably won’t do that for existing models. We will see hybrid versions of all of our cars, though,” Bentley Chairman Wolfgang Schreiber said.
“Level all the criticism you want at Bentley, but it seems like they’re going about it right. Using the Bentley SUV as a launch platform for their hybrid technology, Bentley can build the necessary components, like space for a large battery bank, right into the design,” Chris DeMorro of Gas2 comments.
Of course, with this upcoming plug-in hybrid SUV, Bentley is following a couple trends — electrification and luxury SUVs. DeMorro notes:
Luxury sport SUVs have become increasingly popular, with cars like the Porsche Cayenne making up a huge chunk of the one-time sports car maker’s annual sales. Bentley wants to increase sales 80% by 2018, having set a record year in 2013 with more than 10,000 coupes, convertibles, and sedans sold. Bentley hopes its SUV can account for 3,000 additional annual sales alone, and a plug-in hybrid model could help it reach that goal.
I think that’s a pretty clear avenue for increasing sales. Now, which of you is prepared to pay the price for this plug-in hybrid Bentley SUV?
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