The long awaited Bentley SUV has been confirmed, though no official details have been revealed as of yet.
The Bentley SUV concept
The concept of the model is called called the Bentley SUV EXP 9 F and was previewed at the Geneva Motor Show in 2012. Though this is what the model will be based on, the manufacturer’s have listened to customer feedback and have since decided to change the design. The company’s new sketch shows that the model now has a slightly sportier profile, bearing an uncanny resemblance to the Porsche Cayenne which suggests that the two models could share more than just the same platform.
Where will the Bentley SUV be made?
The new Bentley is to be made at the firm’s manufacturing factory in Crewe, Cheshire, rather than alongside the next Audi Q7 in Bratislava, Slovakia, as previously suggested. For the SUV’s production, the company have invested more than 800million in it’s Crewe HG and The company have invested more then 800million in it’s Crewe HQ, planning to create more models before the Bentley SUV goes on sale. This is good news for the UK economy as more than 1,000 UK jobs will be created as a result of this investment.
Chairman of the board at the Volkswagen Group, Dr Martin Winterkorn, commented, €We believe in the UK as a competitive location for industrial production. Bentley fans all around the world are looking forward to its first SUV. Together we will make this car another true Bentley – powerful, exclusive and successful.€
Why is Bentley expanding into the SUV market?
CEO, Dr Wolfgang Schreiber, commented, €We already have 2,000 pre-orders without customers knowing the price or styling. Since the concept we’ve worked hard on the exterior and interior, and it’s now ready for final development. It looks more like a Bentley; more modern.€ Despite the positive response, Schreiber doesn’t expect to have the ultra-luxury SUV segment to himself for long, €Competition is always good for the customer. We all know Rolls Royce is thinking about an SUV, Aston Martin is also considering one we all know about the Range Rover. There could even be some others that come along.€
Bentley’s sales and marketing director, Kevin Rose, is confident the model will be a success, €Thirty per cent of our existing customers already have a high-end SUV, so if we can convince even a small amount of those into buying the car we have a very strong business case indeed.€
Overall, the company plan to sell around 3,000 to 4,000 SUVs a year, which would make the new model a crucial part of Bentley’s aim to boost annual sales from the 8,510 last year to 15,000 by 2018.
The Bentley SUV is due to go on sale in 2016, priced at just over 100,000 with Schreiber hinting at overlapping with Range Rover through a starting price of around 120,000.
