SUV to boost local Bentley sales by 50%

Bentley is looking to its first ever SUV to grow local sales upwards of 50 per cent. And it has confirmed turbo-diesel, petrol eight and 12-cylinder petrol versions and even a petrol hybrid are part of its roll-out.

Visiting Australia to host an owners' golf tournament, Bentley's new regional team hosted a press conference in Melbourne this morning. At the gathering, regional Marketing and Communications and Sales heads, Silvia Saliti and David Jackson, confirmed the brand's ambitious targets for the new vehicle. And hinted at the oddly-named Bentayga's model roll-out...

According to Saliti, the new vehicle will be the market's first luxury (as opposed to premium) SUV and "a true Bentley". She says the vehicle will boost Bentley's local sales by 50 per cent.

Last year Bentley registered 135 vehicles Down Under. Once the new vehicle is debuted locally in early 2016, Saliti says local "volume expectations" will be in the order of 190 units per year.

Bentley is commissioning a new production line for Bentayga at its manufacturing base in Crewe, UK. The €800m facility has a production capacity in excess of 6000 vehicles per year. According to Saliti the company plans to increase total production (passenger car and SUV) to around 18,000 units by 2018. Last year Bentley built just over 11,000 cars.

The new Bentley SUV is based on the same Volkswagen Group underpinnings as Porsche's Cayenne and Audi's new Q7. But says Saliti, the Bentayga will "meet and exceed luxury buyers' expectations".

Sales chief Jackson hinted that the vehicle will be a step change for softroaders, not only in terms of luxury finishes and features but also in connectivity.

"We have not blazed the trail with technology but our owners are telling us that with our next generation of vehicles we need to be the benchmark," Jackson told motoring.com.au.

Jackson confirmed the new SUV will be offered in both W12 and twin-turbo V8 petrol variants and a petrol-electric hybrid. He also confirmed that a turbo-diesel Bentayga will come Down Under but did not specify its cylinder count.

"Crewe is a centre of excellence for the W12 engine. We will probably launch [Bentayga] with the large engine then other versions will be rolled out," he said.

Bentayga will logically be the most expensive SUV on sale Down Under when it does hit Aussie shores.

When asked whether the 'base' diesel model Bentayga would be the cheapest Bentley model sold Down Under, Saliti said no.

The cheapest new Bentley current sold locally is the petrol V8 Flying Spur at just under $380,000.