A plug-in hybrid version of the Bentley Bentayga SUV will arrive in 2018 with a zero-emissions electric drive mode.
The Bentayga plug-in?s imminent arrival was signaled last week when spy shots surfaced of a Bentayga prototype testing with an additional ?fuel door? for the electrical socket. It was believed the hybrid SUV would arrive with a version of the Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid?s V6 engine and hybrid, and now the United Kingdom?s Autocar magazine has a bit more information on the vehicle?s arrival and its powertrain.
While the hybrid Bentayga will likely use the same supercharged 3.0-liter V6 and electric motor as the Cayenne S E-Hybrid, it seems as though it will be a bit more robust. Autocar claims the system will make more than 410 horsepower and seeing as the Bentayga will carry a large price premium over the Cayenne S E-Hybrid, we?re willing to bet the electric range will be further than the Cayenne?s estimated 14 miles. Apart from the additional fuel door for the electrical socket, the Bentayga plug-in will appear visually identical to the W12 model currently sold in the United States and Canada. This is to be expected ? the upscale look of a Bentley wouldn?t look too great with the blue and green color elements and futuristic styling choices that sometimes denote hybrid model variants.
Bentley?s interest in hybrid cars contrasts rival Rolls-Royce, which recently said it would not produce a hybrid car and that it will only be interested in electrification when...