Bentley Motors to go fully electric by 2030

Bentley Motors has announced plans to exclusively offer plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles by 2026 and fully electric models by 2030, the British luxury carmaker said yesterday.

Bentley, which is owned by German automaker Volkswagen, will offer two unnamed plug-in hybrid models starting next year. The first full-electric vehicle is expected in 2025, the company said. At present, Bentley’s only plug-in hybrid is the Bentayga SUV.

“The future of Bentley will be fully electric,” Bentley’s chief engineer, Matthias Rabe, said during an event outlining the future direction of the 100-year-old company.

The announcement is a major move for the company, which is best known for its luxury vehicles with eight and 12-cylinder engines. It follows in the footsteps of several other automotive firms which have plans to move away from internal combustion engines in exchange for electric powertrains.

“Within a decade, Bentley will transform from a 100-year-old luxury car company to a new, sustainable, wholly ethical role model for luxury,” Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark said in a statement. He said the company aims to be completely carbon neutral by 2030.

Hallmark also said that Bentley is “in a position” where it could be breakeven following significant disruptions in the company’s operations due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s not guaranteed but that’s clearly our mission,” Hallmark said, adding the company should achieve 10,000 sales this year – slightly lower if not in line with its 11,006 vehicles sold in 2019.

In the summer, Bentley announced it would cut up to 1,000 jobs, or nearly a quarter of its workforce through a “voluntary release” program as its business plans have been “clearly derailed by the impact of the pandemic.”

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