Luxury car maker Bentley is to unveil its first plug-in hybrid car this month at the Beijing International Automobile Exhibition. The vehicle is due for release in 2017.
Bentley, purchased by German car manufacturer Volkswagen in 1998, will be launching its Hybrid Concept car and intends to offer a range of other hybrid models in the coming years.
The model that will be displayed in Beijing on 20 April will not appear much different to people familiar with Bentley, as it will be using Bentley’s latest Mulsanne model, but the real changes will be made under the hood.
According to Bentley, the plug-in hybrid system on the new model will offer a power increase of up to 25pc together with a 70pc reduction in CO2 emissions, which suggests there will be little change to its established 6.75 litre V8.
The company also claims its hybrids will be capable of driving at least 50 km on electric power alone, though mostly for city driving.
Speaking about Bentley’s hybrid future, Dr Wolfgang Schreiber, chairman and chief executive of Bentley Motors, has said “by the end of the decade, at least 90pc of our production will be available as a plug-in hybrid.”
