British luxury carmaker Bentley became the latest entrant into the EV sector on Wednesday by unveiling its first fully electric vehicle, with the claim that wealthy buyers want zero-emission motoring without sacrificing the design cues that have defined the British luxury carmaker for more than a century.
The launch of the Torcal SUV comes just months after Ferrari’s Luce debut, an EV whose design invited criticism from the brand’s fans for deviating from the company’s traditional low-slung, petrol-powered cars.
Bentley has opted for a conservative approach by ensuring its debut EV retains styling cues from the luxury carmaker’s combustion-engine models, including diamond-shaped lights designed to evoke a traditional front grille, although EVs do not require a grille for engine cooling.
While the EV has replaced Bentley’s traditional V8 engine, the new powerplant has retained the engine’s traditional feeling by having a soundtrack based on orchestral timpani, or kettledrums, supported by smaller drums that quicken as the vehicle accelerates.
“Our intention was always to make a Bentley first,” Bentley CEO Frank‑Steffen Walliser told Reuters.
“We feel people are not asking for an entirely different car just because it’s electric,” he added further.
Beyond Ferrari, BMW-owned Rolls-Royce is the only other major ultra-luxury carmaker having an EV in its vehicle portfolio.
Lamborghini, which, like Bentley, is owned by the Volkswagen Group, has delayed its first EV until the end of the decade amid the parent group’s struggles against headwinds like low vehicle demand in Germany, increasing Chinese competition, and US tariffs.
Another British giant, McLaren, said last week it had no plans for an EV.
Both Lamborghini and McLaren have cited limited customer demand while justifying their decisions.
Bentley, too, delayed the launch of its first EV until 2026 and abandoned a target of becoming fully electric by 2030, saying customers were not ready to make the shift.
However, the Torcal SUV has arrived. Unlike the Luce EV, whose starting price stands at 550,000 euro (USD 628,000), the Torcal sits at the lower end of Bentley’s range, with a starting price of 173,000 pounds (USD 230,000).
As per Walliser, Bentley has tried to keep the model in a “more affordable” category, seeking a new market and customer base.
Bentley has been showcasing the vehicle to existing and prospective customers.
It has reportedly drawn strong interest from Europe, the Middle East, and American states where EV adoption is high.
A launch campaign in China, the world’s largest auto market, will begin in 2027.
“Half of the interest comes from existing customers, looking for a new EV or to replace a car in their fleets, while approximately 50% are new to the brand,” Walliser said.
The launch of the Torcal SUV should also be seen as the first act of a comeback from the struggling British automobile sector, especially in the EV domain.
To build Torcal, Bentley has invested 350 million pounds at its Crewe plant.
Taking together the announced commitments from McLaren and Nissan, total sector investment went past more than 1 billion pounds in seven days.
Bentley has given a British spin to its EV narrative, stating that the Torcal SUV has been designed, engineered, and built in the European country, and the project will support around 4,000 existing jobs in Crewe while reinforcing domestic automotive supply chains.
The investment also includes new manufacturing, design, and logistics capabilities at the site, alongside workforce training and skills development.
British business minister Jonathan Reynolds said Bentley’s investment was “proof once again that we’re creating the right conditions for good growth.”
Image Courtesy: Bentley