Bentley's first EV will be a 1000bhp statement of intent

UK firm will launch electric offensive in 2026 with a W12-obliterating all-new model

- JAMES ATTWOOD AND MARK TISSHAW

Bentley is gearing up for the launch of its first bespoke electric car, which will offer up to double the power of any model in its current line-up.

The British firm's maiden EV had originally been due in 2025 as the first of five electric cars set to arrive at a rate of one per year when announced in 2022. The first EV, a standalone model in the range, will now be revealed in late 2026, with deliveries starting by the end of that year.

The later arrival of this electric car means that the subsequent EVs, which will replace existing models in Bentley's range, have also been pushed back. Now, the electric car rollout will end not in 2030 but by 2032-33, the date when Bentley will become a full-EV brand.

This is part of an investment programme that is "locked and loaded" and will not be "rowed back from", according to Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark. The delay to the EV programme also means the firm will invest in hybrid technology that will stay on sale for longer.

Although Bentley is working on longer-term electric replacements for the Continental GT and GTC, Flying Spur and Bentayga, the first EV will be an entirely new model - a sleek machine that could blend a saloon body with a high-riding SUV stance. It will retain familiar design cues, building on design elements seen on the recent ultraexclusive Bacalar and Batur.

While not publicly confirming the body type, Hallmark hinted that Bentley's first EV was an opportunity to launch an "incremental model" to the line-up without a predecessor and it would have less pressure on it than, say, a replacement for a bigselling SUV like the Bentayga, which, he admitted, would be a "gamble".