Bentley’s sparky new era
THErE’S no doubting the direction in which the world’s car-makers are now heading fast, says Adrian Hallmark, the new boss of the Crewe-based Bentley. Since taking over on February 1, he’s re-written the script. ‘The future’s electric,’ he told me. ‘The motor industry is facing the biggest shake-up in living memory. Twenty years ago i thought i had it sussed. Now it’s: “Holy Smoke!” ’
Taking over as the chief executive of Bentley — and being first Briton in two decades to hold the top spot at the firm owned by Germany’s volkswagen Group — was a ‘dream come true’, he says. it’s also an electric dream: to bring green power to the firm’s sporty, luxurious limousines that have had a reputation for ‘gas-guzzling’ fuel economy and high Co2 emissions.
His first step was to unveil the new £140,000 petrol- electric Bentayga Hybrid SUv in Geneva. But he stresses this is ‘just the start’ and he promises ‘full electrification’ of the range. it’s a new chapter in the near 100-year history of the car firm, which employs 4,000 people, and last year sold a record 11,089 cars, of which 85 per cent were exported.
Hallmark says: ‘i want Bentley to lead the way in the delivery of sustainable luxury mobility.’ other car- makers are also making a big push towards electrification, including Jaguar with its all- electric i-PACE, Aston Martin’s electric Lagonda, as well as models from Porsche, Audi and vW.
Hallmark says the superluxury car market has grown from about 3,500 cars sold in 2000 to nearly 100,000 in 2018.
Bentley is looking to offer deals similar to those used in mobile phone contracts, as well as ‘time share’ packages, which allow people to mix and match the Bentleys they drive, and when they drive them.