Bentley Motors sees ultra-luxury SUV as Mulsanne replacement

MANILA: The CEO of Bentley Motors confirms that a new sedan will not replace Mulsanne, one of the luxurious sedan models of the Bentley range. Considering Mulsanne’s upcoming retirement, the question lies on what Bentley will offer since this luxury sedan takes up almost $300,000 worth of space. Thus, the company plans to build another model, an ultra-luxury SUV.

Adrian Hallmark, chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors, explained in a recent interview that there is unquestionable business logic behind the decision of non-replacement for Mulsanne. He stated that twenty years ago, when the Arnage was popular along with the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph, worldwide auto sales were around 1,500 to 2,000 yearly in this particular market. Currently, it's at less than 1,000, and Bentley accounts for 50% of that.

The interview with Hallmark was done after the cancellation of the Geneva Auto Show due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Hallmark, the figures mentioned are not enough to explain the immense cost of creating a direct Mulsanne replacement. He also pointed out that the cost of manufacturing cars with the requirements and technology for crash and emissions means that they are not less costly to build than a vehicle that sells  5,000 a year. This makes the business case incredibly difficult if people just see the possibility of 400 to 600 yearly.

Yet Hallmark says that Bentley has no plans of leaving this part of the market, and an SUV is a probable candidate.

He also stated that Bentley’s ambition is to fill in the price space left once the Mulsanne retires. He also assured everyone that Bentley would not build sports cars.

Last year, SUVs represented 47% of Bentley sales. This is around 50% of the segment below the said car brand. Therefore, the strong indication is that both luxury-car buyers and premium-car buyers now find SUVs even more attractive.

The new model will not serve as a replacement for the Mulsanne sedan. It will also not be the first Bentley electric vehicle. Bentley company sources said that it would be introduced after the first purely electric vehicle from the brand, which Hallmark announced would be on sale in 2025. No matter what form the model assumes, a W-12 engine will not help fuel it. Hallmark indicated that it should be phased out earlier.

Hallmark also explained that Bentley made the engines larger and more efficient for 100 years. The company will try to make it disappear for the next ten years. This will undoubtedly mean a plug-in hybrid powertrain for the alleged Bentayga-plus SUV. The reason behind this is that Bentley has agreed to provide a hybrid version for each model by 2023.