The company originally planned for an introduction in 2025, but it will now be 2026
The delay is apparently not caused by software problems faced by other VW Group divisions
This issue might cause Bentley to miss its target of having a fully electric lineup by 2030
Bentley announced its first electric model will be late by a couple of months to a year, with the launch now expected in 2026 instead of 2025.
The British luxury brand didn’t say what is the cause of this delay, but it did say it is not related to the recent troubles at Volkswagen’s Cariad software division, which have pushed back the launch of several EVs from Audi and Porsche.
This is surprising since the upcoming Bentley will share its platform with a new Audi model called Artemis, which was reportedly delayed due to software issues.
Porsche was supposed to have its own version of this new model, but it later decided to choose another platform, which will be introduced by the Q6 E-Tron, for its next electric model.
According to Bentley’s CEO, the company will still be able to reveal its first electric model in 2025, but the start of production will have to wait until the next calendar year.
Bentley announced almost two years ago it wants to become a fully electric brand by 2030, but this delay might have made it impossible for this goal to be achieved, although the CEO didn’t comment on this subject.
Something on which he did comment however is the financial aspect of transitioning to EVs. Unlike for most other automakers, making electric vehicles could be very profitable for Bentley right from the start since the battery it will use in its first EVs apparently costs less to make than the W12 engine it currently uses in some models.
