Tag Archives: Bentley

News

Bentley’s New Paint Shop Is So Advanced It Needed Its Own Show Car

If you’ve ever wondered why a Bentley’s paint seems to possess a depth and richness that lesser luxury cars can only imitate, the answer increasingly lies not in the color itself, but in the factory that applies it. And now, Bentley has unveiled what may be its most important manufacturing investment since the company began preparing for an electric future: a massive new paint facility in Crewe that’s as sophisticated as the cars rolling through it.

The occasion isn’t just another ribbon-cutting ceremony. Bentley’s new 12,500-square-meter Paint Shop has officially entered service, becoming the tallest building on the company’s historic campus and a cornerstone of the brand’s ongoing “Dream Factory” transformation. More importantly, it signals how Bentley intends to maintain its reputation for craftsmanship while embracing the digital manufacturing technologies required for the next generation of vehicles—including the company’s first fully electric model arriving later this year.

And because Bentley rarely misses an opportunity to celebrate in style, the opening was marked with a one-off Continental GT S wearing a spectacular new finish called Spectral Verdant.

The Most Important Building You Never See

Paint shops rarely get enthusiasts excited. Engines do. Design studios do. Paint facilities generally don’t.

But they should.

For ultra-luxury manufacturers like Bentley, paint quality is one of the most visible indicators of craftsmanship. Customers spending six-figure sums expect flawless finishes, and increasingly, they expect something unique. That’s where Bentley’s new facility comes in.

The new Paint Shop has been designed around flexibility as much as efficiency. Every current Bentley model—the Continental GT, Continental GTC, Flying Spur, and the upcoming electric vehicle—will immediately benefit from the facility’s capabilities. The Bentayga will join the operation later as integration continues.

According to Bentley, the building has been engineered with future bespoke paint processes in mind, ensuring room for increasingly ambitious customer requests. Given the explosive growth of Bentley’s Mulliner personalization division, that’s a smart investment.

As Andreas Lehe, Bentley’s Board Member for Manufacturing, put it, the facility will help establish the company as a leader in paint quality for decades to come while expanding the range of finishes available to customers.

Luxury Meets Industry 4.0

Inside, the operation spreads across two meticulously planned floors that blend traditional hand craftsmanship with advanced automation.

The human element remains central. Bentley’s highly skilled paint specialists still perform much of the detailed work that gives the brand’s finishes their renowned quality. But behind the scenes, technology is doing much of the heavy lifting.

One of the most intriguing innovations is a fleet of ten Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) that shuttle vehicle bodies between workstations. Bentley claims this is the first automotive paint shop in the world to use self-propelled carriers in this way, allowing production stations to be reconfigured with remarkable flexibility.

That may sound like factory-floor trivia, but it matters. Bentley customers increasingly demand highly individualized finishes, and a production system capable of adapting quickly to bespoke requests becomes a competitive advantage.

The same AGV technology will also appear in Bentley’s future EV assembly operations, helping improve production tracking and workplace ergonomics as the company prepares for an electric era.

Cleaner, Smarter, and Far More Efficient

While luxury brands often focus on craftsmanship, Bentley’s new facility also reflects a growing emphasis on sustainability.

The building incorporates an advanced thermal management system that captures heat generated by paint application processes and redistributes it throughout the facility. The result is impressive: Bentley says the building requires no additional heating for roughly two-thirds of the year.

Environmental improvements extend beyond energy efficiency.

A new water-based primer replaces the previous solvent-based system, while more precise paint application and improved filtration technologies significantly reduce material consumption. Bentley estimates overall waste reduction of up to 45 percent compared with the outgoing facility.

Perhaps the most dramatic statistic comes from the Paint Shop’s Residual Thermal Oxidiser system. Operating at temperatures of around 1,000 degrees Celsius, the unit burns and purifies paint-process emissions before they’re released, reducing volatile organic compound emissions by as much as 98 percent.

It’s the sort of infrastructure investment customers will never see—but one that increasingly matters as luxury manufacturers face growing environmental scrutiny.

Enter Spectral Verdant

Of course, no new paint facility would be complete without a showcase piece.

To celebrate the start of production, Bentley created a one-off Continental GT S featuring an entirely new finish called Spectral Verdant. Developed in-house by Bentley’s artisans, the color builds upon the company’s existing Verdant green while introducing a remarkable color-shifting effect that reveals a spectrum of sparkling hues under natural light.

The result appears almost liquid in its depth, changing character as lighting conditions shift.

Further emphasizing the craftsmanship involved, the car also wears a hand-sprayed Union Flag racing stripe finished in Ghost White Pearlescent. Applying the stripe reportedly took several days and required bespoke painting techniques—a reminder that even in an era of advanced automation, Bentley still relies heavily on skilled human hands.

The new Spectral Verdant finish now joins Bentley’s extended “By Mulliner” paint portfolio, giving customers yet another way to ensure their car remains unlike any other on the road.

The Road to Bentley’s Electric Future

The new Paint Shop is ultimately about far more than paint.

It represents Bentley’s effort to future-proof its manufacturing operations as the company transitions toward electrification while preserving the handcrafted qualities that define the brand. It’s a delicate balancing act: introducing cutting-edge automation without sacrificing the artisanal character customers expect.

Judging by the opening act—a dazzling Continental GT S wearing one of the most striking paint finishes Bentley has ever produced—the company seems determined to prove that technology and craftsmanship aren’t opposing forces.

In Crewe, they’re simply being applied with another coat of paint.

Source: Bentley

NEW CARS

2027 Bentley Flying Spur First Look: The Luxury Liner Learns a New Trick

Bentley’s flagship sedan gets a cleaner face, a more powerful hybrid heart, and an audiophile-grade soundtrack.

In an era where luxury sedans are quietly disappearing, Bentley is doubling down on the formula. The British automaker has unveiled the latest-generation Flying Spur, a comprehensive evolution of its four-door flagship that aims to blend handcrafted opulence with performance figures that wouldn’t look out of place on a supercar spec sheet.

The headline change is what lies beneath the sheetmetal. Every new Flying Spur now revolves around Bentley’s latest V-8 hybrid architecture, delivering the kind of power that makes the term “executive express” feel like a massive understatement. But while the powertrain grabs attention, the design team has been equally busy, giving the Flying Spur its most significant visual refresh in years.

A Cleaner, Sharper Bentley

At first glance, the new Flying Spur looks familiar. Look closer, however, and you’ll notice a dramatic shift in Bentley’s design language.

Most striking is the arrival of single front headlamps, a feature not seen on a Bentley sedan since 1962. The move aligns the Flying Spur with the recently introduced fourth-generation Continental GT and gives the sedan a cleaner, more modern face. The traditional grille has also been reworked and integrated into the front bumper, while the sculpted wing vent has been deleted in favor of smoother bodywork and discreet badging positioned behind the front wheels.

Around back, Bentley designers have simplified the rear styling with a redesigned decklid, slimmer taillamps, and a body-colored license plate surround. New 22-inch wheel designs complete the makeover, helping the big sedan look lower, wider, and more contemporary.

The Return of the S

For drivers who believe luxury and restraint are overrated, Bentley is bringing back the Flying Spur S.

Positioned as the more dynamic member of the lineup, the new S arrives with a High Performance Hybrid powertrain generating a substantial 680 horsepower and 686 lb-ft of torque (930 Nm). That’s nearly 20 percent more power than any previous Flying Spur S and a full 130 horsepower increase over its predecessor.

The numbers are appropriately absurd.

Bentley claims the Flying Spur S rockets from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.6 seconds before charging on to a top speed of 191 mph. Considering this is a sedan capable of transporting four adults in near-silent comfort while wrapped in handcrafted leather and polished wood, those figures remain almost comically impressive.

Bentley’s Most Driver-Focused Sedan Yet

The extra power is only part of the story.

For the first time, the Flying Spur S inherits Bentley’s Performance Active Chassis package previously reserved for Speed and Mulliner variants. The system combines active all-wheel drive, torque vectoring, twin-valve dampers, Bentley Dynamic Ride active anti-roll technology, and revised stability-control software designed to sharpen responses without compromising comfort.

A new electronic limited-slip differential also joins the party, marking its first appearance on a Flying Spur S. The result should be a sedan that feels significantly more agile than its considerable dimensions would suggest.

Visually, the S leaves little doubt about its intentions. Gloss-black matrix grilles, black exterior trim, dark-tinted LED lighting elements, black mirror caps, and dark-finished exhaust outlets replace the traditional brightwork, giving the sedan a more aggressive and purposeful stance.

Five Seats, Twelve Hours, Infinite Details

Inside, Bentley continues to treat craftsmanship as a competitive advantage.

Customers can now choose from five different seat designs, each requiring roughly 12 hours of hand-finishing by Bentley artisans. Whether specified with traditional fluting or contemporary quilted inserts, the seats represent the kind of painstaking attention to detail that remains increasingly rare in the automotive world.

The cabin also introduces a new exterior color called Dark Teal, a rich metallic blue infused with subtle green undertones that Bentley says was inspired by natural landscapes. It joins an already expansive paint catalog but stands out as one of the brand’s most sophisticated contemporary shades.

The Bentley for Audiophiles

Perhaps the most unexpected addition to the Flying Spur range is the new Virtuoso Collection.

Available in three themes—Soprano, Tenor, and Bass—the package takes inspiration from high-end musical craftsmanship and incorporates Champagne Gold detailing throughout both the exterior and interior. The precious-metal accents appear on everything from the winged Bentley badges to the exhaust finishers and even the vehicle key.

The centerpiece, however, is the extraordinary Naim for Mulliner audio system.

Originally developed for the ultra-exclusive Batur and carrying a £25,000 option price, the system now makes its way into a broader Bentley offering. Featuring 21 speakers and technology derived from Focal’s flagship Grand Utopia loudspeakers, the setup promises a listening experience closer to a private concert hall than a luxury sedan.

Bentley claims thousands of development hours went into perfecting the system, which employs advanced “M”-profile speaker cones engineered to maximize rigidity, reduce distortion, and deliver exceptional clarity across the frequency range.

Whether owners spend more time listening to a symphony, a podcast, or the rumble of the hybridized V-8 remains an open question.

Still the Benchmark?

The luxury sedan segment has never been more competitive, with electrification forcing manufacturers to rethink what performance and refinement mean. Bentley’s answer isn’t radical reinvention. Instead, it’s a carefully judged evolution.

The new Flying Spur looks cleaner, goes faster, handles harder, and sounds better—whether through its exhaust system or its 21-speaker audio setup. More importantly, it continues to occupy a unique position in the market: a four-door sedan capable of crossing continents in supreme comfort while accelerating with the urgency of a modern supercar.

Production begins in Crewe this September, with customer deliveries expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2026.

If the previous Flying Spur was already one of the world’s most complete luxury sedans, this latest version suggests Bentley wasn’t interested in standing still.

Source: Bentley

News

Bentley Hits Pause on EV Dreams, Doubles Down on Hybrid Bentayga for 2028

There was a time—not long ago—when Bentley seemed ready to sprint headlong into an all-electric future. Five EVs by 2030, a battery-powered successor to the Bentayga, and a clean break from combustion. That plan, like so many ambitious electrification roadmaps, has now met reality. The new strategy? Slow down, recalibrate, and double down on plug-in hybrids.

At the center of that rethink sits the next-generation Bentley Bentayga, due in 2028. It won’t be the EV standard-bearer once envisioned. Instead, it will lead a new wave of Bentley plug-in hybrids—less a revolution, more a carefully judged evolution.

A Reality Check from Stuttgart

Bentley’s pivot isn’t happening in isolation. Parent group dynamics—and more specifically, delays at Porsche—have forced a rewrite. The much-anticipated SSP-based electric architecture, originally destined to underpin the Bentayga EV, has been pushed into the next decade at significant cost. That left Bentley with a choice: wait, or adapt.

Adapt it is.

Rather than sit on its hands, Bentley is shifting the next Bentayga onto the PPC platform—the same bones set to underpin the next Porsche Cayenne and future large Audi Q9. It’s a platform built for flexibility, capable of housing everything from straight-up combustion engines to next-gen plug-in hybrid systems.

The Bridge to Electric—Whether You Like It or Not

Bentley CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser isn’t shy about the reasoning. The demand for high-end EVs hasn’t quite matched the industry’s early optimism, and forcing customers into full electrification risks alienating a loyal base.

That base, crucially, loves the Bentayga. It’s been the brand’s best-seller since its 2015 debut, accounting for roughly half of all sales. In other words, you don’t mess with a winning formula—you refine it.

So the next Bentayga will lean heavily on a new-generation plug-in hybrid setup, likely centered around a 3.0-liter V6. Expect power outputs in the same ballpark as today’s 456 horsepower, but with a meaningful upgrade in electric-only range over the current car’s modest 30 miles. New battery tech and updated electronics should push it into genuinely usable EV territory—finally.

Not Quite Done with Gasoline

For all the electrified talk, Bentley isn’t quite ready to close the book on internal combustion. Select markets—particularly the U.S.—will continue to see pure gasoline variants, likely including V8-powered models. Limited-run specials could even sneak through in stricter regions, depending on legislation.

It’s a pragmatic approach, if not a romantic one. The days of unfiltered, twelve-cylinder excess may be numbered, but Bentley isn’t about to abandon its heritage overnight.

Design: Concept to Reality

Visually, the new Bentayga will take cues from the EXP 15 concept, signaling a subtle but meaningful shift in Bentley’s design language. Expect sharper surfacing, more pronounced lighting signatures, and a closer visual relationship to the upcoming “Urban SUV”—a smaller, electric-leaning model aimed squarely at rivals like the Cayenne Electric and Lotus Eletre.

Underneath, the new architecture brings more than just powertrain flexibility. Advanced air suspension with active ride control, the latest driver-assistance systems, and continued support for the Extended Wheelbase variant—all but guaranteed to remain a favorite among chauffeur-driven buyers—will ensure the Bentayga stays at the sharp end of the luxury SUV class.

The EV Isn’t Dead—Just Delayed

Bentley’s first EV, the so-called “Luxury Urban EV,” is still very much on track, with a reveal expected later this year and deliveries beginning in 2027. But if you’re waiting for a fully electric Bentayga equivalent, you’ll need patience—it won’t arrive until after 2030.

And when it does, it’ll likely pack serious firepower. Sharing PPE architecture with electric Porsche models, outputs north of 1000 horsepower aren’t off the table. Range figures approaching 400 miles? Also likely.

The Big Picture

What Bentley is doing here isn’t retreat—it’s recalibration. The brand is betting that plug-in hybrids, not full EVs, are the right answer for the next decade. It’s a hedge against uncertain demand, evolving legislation, and the simple reality that even ultra-luxury buyers aren’t all ready to go fully electric.

The next Bentayga, then, won’t be a revolution. But it might be something more important: exactly what the market is willing to buy.

Source: Autocar