Bentley pushes back full all-electric switch to 2035

Bentley Motors has pushed back its switch to only making electric cars to 2035, it has been confirmed.

The Crewe-headquartered luxury car maker, which is owned by Volkswagen, had originally announced in November 2020 that it intended to go all-electric by 2030.

The aim was again reiterated in January 2022 when Bentley revealed plans to launch a pure-electric vehicle every year from 2025 to 2030 as part of its Beyond100 business strategy.

However, the car maker has now said that strategy will be rebranded to Beyond100+, with its timeline extended from 2030 to 2035.

Bentley has also confirmed that its first fully electric car is to be revealed in 2026 – a luxury urban SUV.

The firm said the vehicle will be the first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle or battery electric vehicle to be launched every year over the following decade.

Bentley ‘adapting to economic environment’

Frank-Steffen Walliser, chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors, said: “Four years almost to the day that Bentley initially outlined its Beyond100 strategy, we adapt to today’s economic, market and legislative environment to initiate a major transformative phase for tomorrow.

“Beyond100+ becomes our guiding light as we extend our ambitions beyond 2030, while maintaining our aim of a decarbonised future, including offering only fully electric cars from 2035, and reinforcing our credentials as the British creator of extraordinary cars for over a century and beyond.”

The latest news from Bentley comes after it announced in March that its profit fell last year as a slowdown in the global economy impacted the luxury car market.

The company reported a 17 per cent decrease in operating profit to €589m (£502.9m). Revenue also dipped around 13 per cent to €2.9bn (£2.4bn).

Some 13,560 of the company’s stately vehicles were delivered in 2023, 11 per cent lower than the prior year but still marking the third-highest total in its history.