In 2025 Bentley will introduce the first of five electric models which will make up its range of battery-powered cars by the end of the decade. And leading its development in terms of design will be Felix Page, who told Autocar how far along the company is with the design of this first EV: “We are finalizing the latest refinements on the first electric car right now, and for various reasons time has been quite tight. Most of the work was done well before I arrived, but there were still some opportunities to influence certain elements.”
Between past and future
In particular, Page made it known that Bentley's work is focusing on modifying some details relating to this first battery-powered car, but not only that: the British brand is in fact already working on the design of the second and third electric cars of its future range. How? Looking to the future, but never forgetting the past: “We take it fully into account of the legacy of this company. There are iconic elements in every successful Bentley in history, ignoring them would mean people commenting that what we built is not a Bentley, but that it has lost its identity.”
New era of design
This clearly does not mean that the Bentleys of the future will have the appearance of a historic car, “then we would have failed“ Page clarifies. Who then mentioned the new era of design towards which Bentley is projected: “I am definitely keen to create a car that showcases our new design expression and reveals some of our new ideas, but it is important to plan each step carefully, because there is always fear that someone copies you and puts your ideas into production before you.”
The advantages of the VW Group
From this point of view, the collaboration with the other brands of the Volkswagen Group: “We have a lot of freedom of cooperation, even if some key points must be respected: steps, overhangs, impact-resistant structures and so on. But these things still leave you a lot of space. And working closely with Audi, as we do now, is a strength. It creates opportunities that we didn't have before, when we worked with Porsche. Bentley's profitability gives it great status within the group too, so I'd say that we are in a great position“.
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