Overview
- CEO Frank‑Steffen Walliser ruled out internal‑combustion or plug‑in hybrid versions of the Urban EV, calling such a retrofit technically not feasible and pointing customers to the Bentayga PHEV as the combustion alternative.
- The Urban EV will use a derivative of Volkswagen Group’s PPE architecture, positioning it near vehicles like Porsche’s Cayenne Electric.
- Bentley has canceled four of five planned electric models, retaining only the Urban SUV, and Walliser said the next new EV after that will not arrive before 2030.
- Hybrids and plug‑in hybrids move to the foreground to support margins, with Auto Express reporting a next‑generation Bentayga plug‑in hybrid slated for 2028 on the PPC platform.
- Launch timing reports differ: Autocar cites a formal debut in the second half of 2026 with deliveries from 2027, while InsideEVs reports a 2027 reveal.