Bentley Design Chief: “I Admire BMW For Doing The i3, But Customers Say It Looks Ugly”

Even though it will take a few years until it’s launched, Bentley is working on an electric vehicle, and the company’s design director, Stefan Sielaff, spoke about their zero-emission ambitions, from a visual standpoint.

In a sit-down with Autocar, the official talked about the competition: “If we look at the Taycan, it’s still a Porsche. If you look at Tesla, they don’t look deliberately dramatic. I admire, as a designer, BMW for doing the i3, but if you speak to customers, they say it looks ugly.”

What do think of the BMW i3’s appearance?

Aside from making this bold claim in regards to BMW, Sielaff confirmed that they are “experimenting at the moment with an EV. My instinct is to create an EV which is a very modern step forward. It always has to be a Bentley, but the proportions of an EV will look different”, he explained. “We have to look at the bigger perspective and be brave. When it arrives at the market, it has to be right. Bentley’s brand identity will be very helpful.”

Read More: Bentley’s Interested In EVs, Says They’ll Launch One In Mid-2020s

In an earlier report, CEO Adrian Hallmark confirmed 2025 as “the earliest we can get a credible battery-electric Bentley [on the road]”, and for that, he wants to use the PPE platform co-developed by Porsche and Audi. This would ensure a good balance between proper driving dynamics, range, power and comfort, instead of rehashing an existing model and fitting it with batteries and a motor. One of the biggest reasons for waiting that long until dipping their toes in the EV segment is the high cost of batteries, which could make even a Bentley too expensive for its own good.

Bentley EXP 100 GT Concept

The UK company has already made a point in the EV game with the EXP 100 GT Concept, a GT with four electric motors and a maximum of 1,340 HP available at the push of the right pedal. By their estimates, it needs less than 2.5 seconds to accelerate to 60 mph (96 km/h) and can top out at 186 mph (300 km/h). With new battery technology, they’re expecting a range of 435 miles (700 km) on a single charge, all while keeping a weight of 4,200 lbs (1,900 kg).