Bentley hybrid in the works

A petrol-electric luxury limousine is already in the works as Bentley looks for efficiency and green power over coming years. But that's not the end of things for the upmarket British.

“Our customers are clearly also concerned about energy use,” says Bentley's CEO, Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen. “But longer term we need to look at exactly what type of hybrid technology would be suitable for Bentley cars.” Paefgen says the size and weight of Bentley cars means factoring-in expensive and heavy hybrid technology needed to be assessed properly. “There would have to be significant gains in lowering fuel economy and emissions too,” he says.

Bentley, which is part of the Volkswagen Group, has ready access to hybrid powertrains as the parent company proved with its Touareg SUV hybrid at the Geneva Motor Show. Paefgen says newer technologies are definitely part of Bentley’s future, but the current priority is fuel economy and C02 reductions on its existing engines and the introduction of petrol/ethanol flex-fuel engines on cars like the new 6.8-litre V8 Mulsanne.

To help lower fuel consumption, the eight-speed automatic Mulsanne has cylinder deactivation and camshaft phasing, technologies which helps reduce C02 emissions by 15 per cent. From June all Bentleys will be available with flex-fuel engines, and a model with a diesel engine is also lurking. But the diesel drive is not as straightforward as it could be, because of resistance from Bentley's biggest and most cashed-up group of customers.

“We have a diesel ready to go. But there is a clear statement from our American friends that they are not ready for a diesel," Paefgen says. “As America represents 40 per cent of our sales we cannot risk introducing an engine that is not accepted by our biggest market.”

However, Paefgen says Audi and Volkswagen’s diesel push into North America could help the Bentley cause. “Mercedes, Audi and BMW will also lead the way and I’m confident that we will see a diesel Bentley in four or five years," he says.

While engines are an important focus for Bentley, the company's sales and marketing chief, Stuart McCullough, says rebuilding the business after the economic rollercoaster of the last 18 months is the biggest focus. Still, unlike Rolls-Royce - which has launched the smaller Ghost below its flagship Phantom - Bentley has no plans to go smaller, McCullough says. “We don’t have customers demanding a smaller vehicle. But we are thinking about future products.”

Globally, Bentley sold just 4600 cars last year, down from its 2007 high of 10,014. “It’s been two ends of the extreme. We’ll certainly sell more than 4600 cars this year but it’s difficult to see when we’ll see the days of five-digit sales. “Will we return to the hubris of 2006-2007? I don’t think we will see the like of that type of market for a very long time. Having said, a lot of things are changing in the world. China is growing fundamentally as a market and that’s changing the scale of the global market.”