Bentley had record sales last year, delivering 11,020 cars worldwide, but the brand looks set to continue its spectacular growth thanks to its first SUV, the Bentayga.
Bentley’s SUV will arrive on the market in 2016, before rivals from Maserati, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce, and will certainly play a big part in VW Group’s plans to increase Bentley’s annual sales to 20,000 by 2020.
More than 4,000 potential customers have expressed an interest in the new Bentayga SUV, with Bentley CEO Wolfgang Duerheimer saying the model will be a big thing for the brand.
“The news about the new SUV is stirring up the market. We are very optimistic that we took the right decision. And the feedback we’re getting from potential customers is very good,” the executive said in an interview with Automotive News Europe.
While that was to be expected, Duerheimer revealed that the Bentayga will become the first Bentley to be equipped with a diesel engine, which is required in order for the brand to lower its CO2 emissions.
“Whoever has big engines and a comparably higher share of emissions needs to reduce more. We are reducing emissions with new engine technology on all our model lines. We have a brand new turbo V8. Our first diesel will be offered in the SUV, and we will also introduce a plug-in hybrid in the SUV,” the executive said.
No details were offered about the diesel unit, but will probably be a more powerful version of the 4.2-liter V8 TDI offered in the Audi A8. On the German luxury sedan, the engine produces 385PS (380hp).
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