Bentley Delays Its First-Ever EV Model in Favour of Hybrids

Bentley is the latest automaker to delay its total electrification adoption plan by prioritising hybrids first.

Delaying total electrification adoption seems to be the latest trend among European automakers, with renowned British marque Bentley being the latest one to join the list. As revealed by its CEO Adrian Hallmark when talking to Automotive News Europe, the Crew-based marque is delaying the launch of its first EV model, which was due to take place later in 2025.

Bentley's first EV will underpin the new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture co-developed by Audi and Porsche.

Now set to debut in the latter part of 2026, the CEO said part-and-parcel of this delay is due to some technical problems caused by software issues, as well as some concerns regarding the platform this EV rides on. The platform in question is Volkswagen Group’s latest Premium Platform Electric (PPE), which was first used on the new Porsche Macan EV, followed by the newly-launched Audi Q6 e-tron EV SUV.

This delay didn’t come as a big surprise, since both the Macan EV and Q6 e-tron were supposed to arrive sooner, as per their original announcements. In the end, both cars were launched slightly off from their initial schedules, underscoring that there could be some issues with the new PPE EV platform.

Bentley's first EV model will be based on the EXP 100 GT concept, featuring a sleek two-door GT body style.

A little more detail on Bentley’s inaugural EV, this model was initially set to commence its production by the end of this year at the marque’s production facility in Crewe, UK, where significant building work is now underway to cater for its production. Previewed by the EXP 100 GT concept, the marque’s first EV model is set to retain the same two-door GT body style that was made famous by the iconic Bentley Continental GT.

Limited-Edition Bentley Continental GT Le Mans Collection.

However, Bentley insisted that the new EV model won’t be the outright successor to the Continental GT, as the automaker is also working on replacing some of its iconic nameplates with fully electric versions of each.

Additionally, Autocar UK also reported that this delay has also affected the rollout of Bentley’s subsequent EV models in the future. The original rollout date that was supposed to be by the end of this decade has now been delayed to 2033, with Bentley also planning to become a full-fledged EV brand by this date.

Aside from several technical issues found on its first EV, Bentley indirectly said that the delay is also due to the recent slowdown in the EV market. This downward dip in EV sales is more than enough to convince the Crewe-based marque to now focus on intermediary powertrain technologies, specifically plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), as a perfect bridge from pure ICE to full electrification.

This new V8 PHEV powertrain will outright replace the iconic W12 engine.

With “hundreds of millions” set to be invested in its hybrid program, Bentley is currently developing a new high-performance PHEV powertrain setup with a V8 engine serving as the base. This new PHEV setup will serve as a direct replacement for Bentley’s signature W12 engine, which has just been discontinued.

Aside from the Continental GT and GTC, both the Flying Spur saloon (left) and Bentayga SUV (right) will also get the new V8 PHEV setup.

Additionally, Hallmark also said that this new V8 PHEV setup will be offered in the GT, GTC, and Flying Spur models, which are due to arrive any time later this year, directly replacing both the full ICE V8 and W12 powertrains. Meanwhile, the existing V6 PHEV setup will stay in the range, while the Bentayga SUV lineup will go full hybrid later in 2026.