Bentley puts an electric Bentayga on hold, 2028 model turns to plug in hybrid power
Bentley has reworked its electrification plan for its most important volume model. The next Bentayga will arrive in 2028 as a plug in hybrid, not a full electric car. The decision reflects both a slower than expected shift towards EVs and the Volkswagen Group’s own technology delays, which are forcing the Crewe marque to manage the transition with rather more caution, and rather more concern for profit.
Bentley dropped the idea of taking the next Bentayga fully electric and chose a new generation plug in hybrid powertrain instead. Autocar reports that the 2028 model will sit on the PPC platform, which supports six and eight cylinder combustion engines alongside next generation electrification. In technical terms, that places the Bentayga in the same family as future large luxury SUVs from elsewhere in the Volkswagen Group.
In effect, Bentley is delaying its previous plan for an electric flagship SUV, partly to avoid launching an extremely expensive luxury EV loaded with compromises at a moment when demand in this part of the market is rising more slowly than many expected a few years ago. Bentley itself already extended its Beyond100+ strategy to 2035 and confirmed that plug in hybrids will remain in the line up for longer than first planned.
Two reasons stand out. First, Bentley appears to believe that wealthy buyers will continue to favour hybrids over the next few years, because they combine the quiet manners of an urban EV with the long distance ease expected of a luxury grand tourer. Second, Porsche’s delay in developing the new SSP electric architecture has forced a broader rethink across the group, and Bentley’s earlier EV plans depended heavily on that technology arriving on time.
The Bentayga matters enormously to Bentley. It was the brand’s first SUV, and it remains one of the main pillars of its sales volume. For a model like this, management is far more likely to favour technical certainty and healthy margins than gamble on a costly new electric luxury SUV that could still be tripped up by charging infrastructure, battery weight and the everyday habits of its customers. Last year, the Bentayga accounted for roughly half of Bentley’s total sales, which makes it easy to see why the company has no interest in taking a strategic risk with it.
The PPC platform and a new generation of power electronics should allow Bentley to increase electric range and make hybrid mode feel more credible in real world use. The brand’s official line already leans in that direction, arguing that most daily journeys can be done electrically in a plug in hybrid, and presenting the format as a practical bridge to a fully electric future.
That may not be as bold as the all electric promises of a few years ago. Then again, in the luxury SUV market, caution now looks a good deal more fashionable than optimism.
