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New Models
AUTOS: Bentley Designer Eyes Future
British luxury brand’s design chief lends insight into the styling of the recent, controversial SUV concept.
Bentley revealed sketches by design chief David Hilton that resulted in the recently unveiled SUV concept. (Illustration: Bentley)
The reception to the unveiling of Bentley’s EXP 9 F SUV concept was polarizing, to say the least.
That might have been expected since this was not only the historic brand’s first foray into the SUV segment, it was the first time any major automaker has explored building an SUV for customers interested in ultra-luxury.
Bentley is confident of the success of an SUV among its lineup and is close to locking in the final design.
We recently talked to the man charged with penning the look of the future production version, David Hilton, Bentley’s newly appointed chief of exterior design, and we were able to come away with some important insights into the brand’s future look.
Hilton explained that what’s most important to Bentley is the customer reaction to the EXP 9 F, whether it’s good for the brand or should the concept be drastically modified.
“The response [from customers] has been incredibly positive,” Hilton revealed. “They love the presence of the vehicle and the personality it projects.”
Hilton conceded that the styling will be toned down for the production version, though the quad-circle light design would stay the same. The commanding driving position and general proportions will remain as well.
As for the rear end, with its simple rectangle taillamps and contrasting oval exhausts, Hilton explained that this is a look that will be appearing on more Bentleys, including one that will be revealed in the near future. Though he wouldn’t say what that vehicle was, he did state earlier in the interview that the Continental GT would be redesigned soon.
Looking ahead, Hilton said Bentley will be sticking with a three-line model offensive once the SUV is launched, though there will be variants of each. The big seller will be the SUV, which Bentley is boldly predicting will attain a sales volume of around 15,000 units annually. To put that into perspective, that’s more than double Bentley’s total sales in 2011.
The key to the rapid growth is such emerging markets as China, India and Russia, although the U.S. still has an insatiable appetitive for SUVs. Bentley also expects to see growth through the launch of more powertrain options for customers. We’ve already started to see this with the introduction of a new twin-turbocharged V8 option in the 2013 Continental GT and GTC.
While smaller and less powerful than the current W12 engines, Bentley’s new V8 is considerably lighter. We will be seeing it in more models in the future, with Bentley positioning the V8 as the sporting option while targeting the W12 at the prestige end of the market.
Bentley boss Wolfgang Dürheimer has hinted at plug-in hybrid technology being an option, and announced that it was being considered for the upcoming SUV.
As for the styling of all these vehicles, you can rest assured that they will remain big and elegantly styled.
“We will continue to hint at the past while remaining modern,” Hilton explained. “And there are no plans to build a smaller Bentley.”
This story originally appeared at Motor Authority.
That might have been expected since this was not only the historic brand’s first foray into the SUV segment, it was the first time any major automaker has explored building an SUV for customers interested in ultra-luxury.
Bentley is confident of the success of an SUV among its lineup and is close to locking in the final design.
We recently talked to the man charged with penning the look of the future production version, David Hilton, Bentley’s newly appointed chief of exterior design, and we were able to come away with some important insights into the brand’s future look.
Hilton explained that what’s most important to Bentley is the customer reaction to the EXP 9 F, whether it’s good for the brand or should the concept be drastically modified.
“The response [from customers] has been incredibly positive,” Hilton revealed. “They love the presence of the vehicle and the personality it projects.”
Hilton conceded that the styling will be toned down for the production version, though the quad-circle light design would stay the same. The commanding driving position and general proportions will remain as well.
As for the rear end, with its simple rectangle taillamps and contrasting oval exhausts, Hilton explained that this is a look that will be appearing on more Bentleys, including one that will be revealed in the near future. Though he wouldn’t say what that vehicle was, he did state earlier in the interview that the Continental GT would be redesigned soon.
Looking ahead, Hilton said Bentley will be sticking with a three-line model offensive once the SUV is launched, though there will be variants of each. The big seller will be the SUV, which Bentley is boldly predicting will attain a sales volume of around 15,000 units annually. To put that into perspective, that’s more than double Bentley’s total sales in 2011.
The key to the rapid growth is such emerging markets as China, India and Russia, although the U.S. still has an insatiable appetitive for SUVs. Bentley also expects to see growth through the launch of more powertrain options for customers. We’ve already started to see this with the introduction of a new twin-turbocharged V8 option in the 2013 Continental GT and GTC.
While smaller and less powerful than the current W12 engines, Bentley’s new V8 is considerably lighter. We will be seeing it in more models in the future, with Bentley positioning the V8 as the sporting option while targeting the W12 at the prestige end of the market.
Bentley boss Wolfgang Dürheimer has hinted at plug-in hybrid technology being an option, and announced that it was being considered for the upcoming SUV.
As for the styling of all these vehicles, you can rest assured that they will remain big and elegantly styled.
“We will continue to hint at the past while remaining modern,” Hilton explained. “And there are no plans to build a smaller Bentley.”
This story originally appeared at Motor Authority.
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