A workers member checks a Bentayga SUV on the Bentley manufacturing line at their manufacturing unit in Crewe, Britain, December 7, 2022.
Phil Noble | Reuters
Bentley Motors plans to finish manufacturing of its 12-cylinder engine subsequent April because the famed luxurious carmaker transitions to electric vehicles.
The British automaker of ultra-luxury efficiency vehicles stated the milestone could be celebrated with probably the most highly effective model of the W12 engine ever created, with 740 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque.
Bentley stated the upgraded engine will solely be utilized in 18 Bentley Baturs — handcrafted two-seat efficiency vehicles that begin at about $2 million. The automobiles are already offered, the distinguished automaker stated.
“The time has come to retire this now-iconic powertrain as we take strides towards electrification,” Bentley Chairman and CEO Adrian Hallmark stated in a launch.
The top of the W12 is the most recent instance of automakers pivoting to all-electric automobiles. Bentley final yr stated it might spend 2.5 billion kilos (about $3 billion) over the following decade to turn into a completely electrical luxurious model by 2030.
The corporate, which is owned by Volkswagen, stated a restricted variety of W12 engines with 649 horsepower can be found for variations of the Continental GT, Bentayga and Flying Spur.
Manufacturing of the W12 engine will likely be changed with expanded meeting of V8 and V6 hybrid engines, based on the corporate. Bentley says it has produced greater than 100,000 of the W12 engines because the meeting started in 2003.
The corporate stated it plans to transition the 30 workers who manufacture the engine at its famed Crewe, England, plant to different operations.
Bentley’s all-electric imaginative and prescient is in step with different automakers, but it surely differs significantly from its famed rival, Ferrari. The Italian sports activities automobile producer, which at present produces V6, V8 and V12 engines, has stated it’ll proceed to take action so long as there may be enough demand for them.
