Yahoo Autos Bentley expands hybrid lineup to Bentaya S and Azure models
People often joke that buyers of ultra-luxury vehicles from Rolls-Royce and Bentley don’t care about gas prices, but even if that’s true, a lot of people still may not want to own the rolling embodiment of earth’s impending doom. Rolls-Royce will go all-electric by 2030, and its British rivals at Bentley are hard at work on the brand’s first EV, expected by 2025. In the meantime, the Brits at Bentley have come up with hybrid powertrains, and the automaker recently announced an expansion of hybrid options for its only SUV, the Bentayga. The automaker says that 100 percent of Bentayga Hybrid owners use their SUVs in full electric mode, with half staying within the vehicle’s electric range.
The Bentayga S and Azure are now available with hybrid powertrains, meaning half of Bentley’s lineup is electrified. Rather than focusing solely on improving efficiency, Bentley implemented a plug-in hybrid system that offers up to 27 all-electric miles of range, a 6-percent surge in power, and a 15-percent improvement in torque. The Bentayga S Hybrid, for example, delivers 455 horsepower. All Bentaygas get almost 300 pound-feet of torque just from the electric motor.
