BENTLEY KICKS OFF NEW ERA WITH DRAMATIC RAISED LIMO

Boldly styled concept paves the way for an electric 'urban SUV' and sets a template for a new chapter of Bentleys

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Bentley has revealed a dramatic, high-riding limousine concept that previews the design of its upcoming cars and it could evolve into a successor to the Mulsanne flagship.

Called the EXP 15, this 5.4m-long show car will inspire the shape and styling of the next generation of Bentley cars, beginning with its first EV, an 'urban SUV', which will be launched next year to sit underneath the Bentayga.

Straddling the boundaries between saloon, SUV and grand tourer, the EXP 15 takes design inspiration from some of Bentley's best-known historic models but ushers in a futuristic new treatment that departs radically from the current Continental GT, Flying Spur and Bentayga.

It's a statement of intent from recently appointed director of design Robin Page, who rejoined Bentley from Volvo in 2023, having previously served in Crewe's interior design team for 17 years.

He told Autocar that his aim with the EXP 15 is to drastically evolve the company's design hallmarks while remaining true to its most recognisable elements.

"It's still in that linear line of Bentleys, but it's a fresh start - a new design language," said Page. "The point is to make a bit of a bang: next chapter." "It's also given us a chance to try a new, modern design language - more monolithic, stronger and cleaner in its surfaces and not too over-complicated," he continued, giving clues to the styling of Bentley's initial wave of electric cars.

"Luxury is about stripping things back to the core principles - clean surfaces, bold gravitas, monolithic forms, solidity - which I think Bentley needs."

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