Bentley develops green tinge

Bentley, long renowned for producing luxury cars with scant regard for fuel consumption or emissions, has unveiled a plan to have all Bentleys “green” by 2012.

The range will be capable of delivering less than 120g/km of CO2 by 2012, according to Franz-Josef Paefgen, Bentley chief executive. In a speech at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show Paefgen unveiled a three-stage environmental strategy.

He said average fleet emissions will have fallen by at least 15 per cent by 2012 as a new powertrain which is in development to deliver 40 per cent improvement in fuel economy. And flex-fuel engines would be introduced throughout the Bentley range by 2012 with the first engines using renewable fuels to be available by next year.

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Bentley will become the first manufacturer in its segment and one of the first in the world to deliver renewable-fuel vehicles throughout its range, along with substantial powertrain improvements. The strategy follows years of engineering studies and product development.

Paefgen said; “This is a major step in the history of Bentley, reflecting the increasing expectation from our customers around the world for performance motoring with fuel-efficient engines."

“We will set a benchmark in our segment of the industry by making every engine capable of running on renewable fuels, reducing emissions and improving fuel efficiency throughout our fleet.”

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