HALLMARK ON…

FUNDING NEW TECHNOLOGY “We don’t need to be pioneers in the Apple or Google sense. We’ve funded our own growth so far, but sometimes you need money before you earn it. We’ve got to compete with other parts of the group. Our case can’t just be about the emotion of Bentley, though we do play on that. But you need a great business case.” “We’re slightly hindered by WLTP testing requirements and the time it takes to get things done. When the requirements of RDE and WLTP were moved together, it made things slower than they might have been.”

THE LATEST GT’S ‘DERIVATIVE’ STYLING

“The last-generation car wasn’t enough of an evolution and I wondered if this one should have gone further, too. So I sought the clinic results: phenomenal. Then I drove one in London: great reaction. People know it’s familiar but see it’s different. Above all, they think it’s beautiful.”

A BATTERY BENTLEY

“Thirty-seven per cent of our owners have considered a BEV [battery electric vehicle]. They’re open to them and understand cities will want them. But they want more, not just an ecological car but great suspension, performance, connectivity, craftsmanship. They want to gain, not lose anything.”

SCARCITY OF ELECTRIC CHARGING POINTS

“It’s one of my least concerns. Porsche, VW, BMW and Mercedes are partners in a network for transient travel across Europe called Ionity, which in 18 months will have six chargers each on sites no more than 120km [75 miles] apart, able to charge a Porsche Mission E in 20-30min.”