Bentley is delaying a plan to offer only fully electric vehicles (EV) by 2030 as EV sales continue to disappoint projections across the industry.
It will extend the target for its “Beyond100” business strategy—now called “Beyond100+”—by five years to 2035, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Frank-Steffen Walliser told reporters during a video conference Thursday.
“We all know the automotive market looks different,” said Walliser, the former Porsche motorsport guru who joined Bentley July 1.
“Legislation for sure is driving electrification. We have to be honest there’s not a lot of demand—customers are kind of careful in considering something like that.”
Walliser confirmed that the company remains on track to reveal its first fully electric vehicle in 2026.
A compact SUV that is smaller than the existing Bentayga, it will be the first of Bentley’s plan to introduce a new plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) or new battery electric vehicle (BEV) every year over the next decade.
“We want to attract new customers,” Walliser said of the battery-powered compact SUV. “It’s not a replacement, it’s an additional car.”
In September, the German executive had already described Bentley’s transition to EVs as “a moving target” and said the company would focus on a mix of hybrid- and combustion-engine vehicles like the $300,000 Bentley Continental GT Speed for the foreseeable future.
Bentley will produce some form of hybrid- or combustion engine vehicle as long as the customer and the market demands it, he reconfirmed Thursday, noting that even though it discontinued its W12 combustion engine earlier this year, Bentley will offer a new pure-combustion variant of the Bentayga next year.
“Nevertheless, sustainability is extremely important,” said Matthias Rabe, Bentley board member for research and development, also on the call, mentioning they are still using and valuing the sustainable fuels that Porsche is developing.
“Plug-in hybrids will stay with us until the mid-2030s. Some parts of the world will be even slower than 2035,” said Walliser.
Andreas Lehe, Bentley board member for manufacturing, spoke as well.
Lehe outlined plans to continue expanding Bentley’s headquarters in Crewe, England, to include new design, assembly, and paint shops, assets intended to help Bentley capitalize on its profitable customization programs.
The first portion of the project will open in the spring of 2025.
“It’s the biggest investment in Bentley history,” he said, but did not specify the amount of money spent on the project.
Bentley joins a chorus of automakers changing its EV plans this year.
Citing factors like limited charging infrastructure, development snarls, and low consumer demand, companies including Ford, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Stellantis, Volvo, and even Tesla are delaying new model roll-outs.
Parent company Volkswagen is facing such dark projections it has prompted possible factory closures in Germany even as the company fights to avoid them.
Global sales at Bentley are down 23% for the first half of the year, off pace from record highs in 2021 and 2022.
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