Bentley on Wednesday unveiled the Torcal, its first fully electric vehicle, an SUV with a starting price of £173,000 ($230,000). The company said it has invested £350 million ($465 million) in its plant in Crewe, northwest England, to build the car.
Bentley unveils Torcal, its first fully electric vehicle, priced from £173,000
Bentley on Wednesday unveiled the Torcal, its first fully electric vehicle, an SUV with a starting price of £173,000 ($230,000). The company said it has invested £350 million ($465 million) in its plant in Crewe, northwest England, to build the car.
The Torcal retains styling cues from Bentley's combustion-engine models, including diamond-shaped lights designed to evoke a traditional front grille, even though EVs do not require one for engine cooling. It also recreates the feel of a V8 engine through a soundtrack based on orchestral timpani, or kettledrums, supported by smaller drums that quicken as the vehicle accelerates.
The Torcal sits at the lower end of Bentley's range. Ferrari's electric Luce starts at €550,000 ($628,000). Beyond Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, owned by BMW, is the only other major ultra-luxury carmaker currently selling an EV. Lamborghini, which like Bentley is owned by the Volkswagen Group, has delayed its first EV until the end of the decade, and Britain's McLaren said last week it had no plans for an EV, with both citing limited customer demand.
Bentley previously delayed the launch of its first EV until 2026 and abandoned a target of becoming fully electric by 2030, saying customers were not ready to make the shift. The company said it has been showcasing the Torcal to existing and prospective customers, with strong interest from Europe, the Middle East and US states where EV adoption is high. A launch campaign in China will begin next year.
Bentley's announcement came days after McLaren unveiled a £500-million investment in Britain and Nissan said it would invest £170 million to build a new model there.
The source states the exchange rate used as ($1 = 0.8764 euros).
- The source does not state the Torcal's range, battery capacity or performance figures.
- The source does not state when the Torcal goes on sale or when deliveries begin.
- The source does not give the calendar date of the unveiling, referring to it only as Wednesday.
- The source does not state how many jobs the £350 million investment at Crewe supports or how it compares with earlier investment at the plant.
- The source does not identify the enthusiasts who criticized Ferrari's first EV, or state whether Ferrari responded to that criticism.
- The source does not state the date to which the euro-dollar conversion rate applies.
Read the original at New York Post