As announced in February 2023, Bentley’s iconic 6-liter twin-turbo W12 engine will cease to be produced by the summer after a career of 20 years and 105,000 units, while the English manufacturer will turn to hybrid engines.
Precisely, its successor was announced today and it will be, in Bentley’s opinion, “the most dynamic, the most responsive and the most efficient in the history” of the brand.
Called “Ultra Performance Hybrid”, this new powertrain is based on Bentley’s current hybrid technology, therefore with a 4-liter twin-turbo V8, but benefits from multiple improvements. Total power will exceed 740 horsepower, 90 more than the W12 in the Continental GT Speed. The company promises torque “in the four digits” (calculated in newton meters), which means at least 737 pound-feet.
Photo: Bentley
Environmentally, we are talking about CO2 emissions of less than 50 g/km and an electric range of 80 km – according to the WLTP standard used in Europe in both cases. These figures will inevitably be revised for the North American market.
We guess that the battery will have a capacity of 25.9 kWh like that of the new Porsche Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid 2025. Additional information will be shared in the coming weeks.
Remember that Bentley has reviewed its Beyond100 strategy in recent months. All models will be hybrid by 2026, but the complete elimination of combustion engines from the range will ultimately happen in 2033 rather than 2030.
In short, if you want a brand new gasoline-only Bentley, you don’t have much time left.
