According to a Car Magazine report, Bentley is developing a four-door coupe that will compete against the BMW M6 Gran Coupe and Mercedes CLS 63 AMG and will play the role of an entry level model. Placed below the Continental GT in the range, the new baby Bentley is scheduled for 2018, but it is not yet known whether it will be sold as a standalone model or as part of the Continental family.
Similar in size to the Continental GT (4.8m/189in), the four-door coupe is said to be a sporty, dynamic model, and the brand’s most affordable vehicle yet. Expected to cost between €125,000 ($168,650) and €150,000 ($202,380), the baby Bentley will reportedly have an annual sales volume of 5,000 – 6,000 units. The car might be powered by V6 engines developed by Porsche, with diesel powerplants being taken into consideration too.
The four-door coupe will be based on Porsche’s MSB platform, which stands for modular rear-drive matrix. The first car to use this architecture will be the second-generation of the Porsche Panamera, set to launch in 2015. Bentley has chosen this platform as it could support three of its models: the Mulsanne/Azure/Brooklands, Continental GT Mk3 and the four-door coupe. The architecture would also offer weight-saving benefits, with the next-generation Continental GT expected to be around 450 kg (992lbs) lighter than the current model.
We’re told that the four-door coupe car was given the green light during a management meeting earlier this year, with other important decisions being the 2015 launch of the SUV and the confirmation of an all-new Mulsanne and the third-generation Continental GT family. The future Mulsanne, expected to launch in 2020, will go further upmarket to better compete with the Rolls-Royce Phantom.
By Dan Mihalascu
Bentley Flying Spur pictured above and below
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