Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen (right) hands over the keys to his successor as Bentley CEO Wolfgang Durheimer.
Bentley, the classic British luxury carmaker, wants to add a sport-utility vehicle to its line-up, a move it predicts could yield a 50% increase in demand over its all-time sales record, the maker’s chief executive told TheDetroitBureau.com.
The new model could come as a surprise to those who expect to see Bentley stick with classic luxury designers, like the big Mulsanne and smaller Continental lines, “But I think people will adapt to the shock,” as they have when other brands like Porsche have introduced SUVs to their line-up, said Bentley CEO Wolfgang Durheimer, during a pair of exclusive interviews at the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance over the weekend.
Durheimer should know. In his previous incarnation as the top engineer at Porsche he led the development of the Cayenne, that sport-ute now the top-seller in the German maker’s line-up. When initially told of the project, said Durheimer, Porsche dealers, “warned us it’s dangerous, but five years later we doubled the size of the company.”
Targets for the Bentley SUV aren’t quite as aggressive, but the maker still hopes to boost global sales to 15,000 a year with the new ute, compared with the previous all-time high of about 10,000.
Durheimer, in his previous role, oversaw development of the original Porsche Cayenne.
During his interview, Durheimer stressed that the vehicle under development would be a true SUV, not a crossover. That approach will allow it, he explained, to match the capabilities of the Range Rover, the most luxurious SUV on the market today.
“I wouldn’t say it will be extra good off road, but it should be able to handle all the road conditions that the Range Rover can,” said Durheimer. Meanwhile, compared to the Porsche Cayenne, “We don’t need to be the fastest, but we will be the most luxurious.”
The project got underway shortly after Durheimer took command of Bentley from long-time chief Franz-Josef Paefgen early this year. So, “We are just at the beginning. We have design scribbles, and a scale model and we are talking about content.”
The project supersedes one that former Bentley chief Paefgen had spearheaded, the development of a luxury sports car smaller than the current Continental GT. “That is now my second priority,” Durheimer revealed, and would likely be pulled off the shelf once development work wrapped up on the SUV.
That is, of course, dependent upon getting the go-ahead from management at Bentley’s German parent Volkswagen Group. But Durheimer stressed that, “I’m quite confident” that will come later this year.
“When you think about it, it makes sense,” he insisted, noting that research shows an extremely large share of Bentley owners also own an SUV, so why not give them something within the brand family to buy.
The maker is now recovering from one of its worst downturns in years, sales collapsing during the global recession, though posting a 27% increase in the U.S., so far this year and a more than 50% gain in China, which has surpassed the U.K. to become the brand’s second-largest national market.
Chinese buyers will likely require some unique features with the SUV, notably including a softer suspension and bigger tires designed to deal with the country’s notoriously bad roads. The ute will also boast a larger back seat, something demanded by Chinese buyers who often prefer being chauffeured.
A number of other details are still under development. There will be a 2-row version of the SUV but Bentley may also bring out a 3-row, 7-seater, said Durheimer.
As for powertrains, Bentley has been struggling with ways to improve its fuel economy – and make its products seem more socially acceptable. That could be even more important to the next generation of ultra-luxury buyers who are growing up in a world where “green” is becoming the price of admission.
While Durheimer said he is firmly committed to developing the most advanced 12-cylinder engines on the market, there will also be an 8-cylinder offering for the SUV. And it will likely get the gas-electric powertrain Bentley has quietly been working on.
“We will skip the first generation of hybrids and go directly to a plug-in,” the Bentley CEO noted during the interview.
Another option under consideration is a high-horsepower, high-torque diesel, something Durheimer said “would achieve the demands of Bentley owners.”
Adding so many new powertrains to the still modest-sized Bentley line-up might seem difficult to justify but Durheimer pointed out that the British-based brand can draw upon the resources of its parent, one of the leaders in the European diesel market.
Nonetheless, the plug-in, which will get an estimated 25 to 30 miles per charge, is likely to be the highest priority to bring to market, said Durheimer, as it would be “one step in the direction of making these vehicle socially acceptable.”