Abstract:
British luxury car brand Bentley, owned by Volkswagen Group, unveiled its first all-electric car, the Torcal SUV, on Wednesday local time, betting that wealthy buyers want zero-emission driving without sacrificing the design features that have defined the British luxury carmaker for more than a century.
The release of the Torcal SUV comes just months after the debut of Ferrari's first electric car, which was criticized by some fans for looking too far removed from the Italian brand's traditional low-slung fuel sports cars.
In contrast, Bentley's first electric car clearly inherits the family genes. It retains design elements from the brand's gas-powered models, such as diamond-shaped headlights designed to echo the shape of the traditional front grille—even though electric cars don't need a grille for engine cooling.
In addition, the car also creates the auditory texture of a V8 engine through simulated sound effects: the sound effect is based on the sound of orchestral timpani, supplemented by smaller drums, and the rhythm of the drums increases as the vehicle accelerates.
Bentley CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser said: "Our intention has always been to create a true Bentley car first. We believe that consumers will not demand that it must be a completely different car just because it is electric."
Other than Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, part of the BMW Group, is currently the only major ultra-luxury automaker selling electric vehicles.
Lamborghini, which is owned by the Volkswagen Group like Bentley, has postponed the launch of its first electric car until the end of the century; Britain's McLaren also said last week that it has no plans to develop electric cars - both car companies cited limited customer demand as the reason.
Unlike Ferrari's electric model Luce, which has a starting price of 550,000 euros (approximately $628,000), the Torcal is positioned as an entry-level model in Bentley's product line, with a starting price of 173,000 pounds (approximately $230,000).
Walizer said that this model represents a "more affordable Bentley... will undoubtedly open up new markets."
Bentley has demonstrated the model to existing and potential customers and has received strong response from Europe, the Middle East and US states with high penetration of electric vehicles. Launch promotion activities for the Chinese market will start next year.
Walizer said that of the group that has expressed interest, half are "existing customers" who are looking for a new electric vehicle or planning to refresh their fleet, while "about 50% are new to the brand."
Bentley has announced that it has invested £350 million (approximately $465 million) in its plant in Crewe, northwest England, to produce the Torcal model.
Not long ago, McLaren just announced an investment of 500 million pounds in the UK, and Nissan also said it would invest 170 million pounds to produce a new model locally.
British Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said that Bentley’s investment “reaffirms that we are creating favorable conditions for good growth”.
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