Bentley is at last expanding its lineup of luxury vehicles with its first EV – the Torcal. We only have the name and a glimpse of its rear end for now, and we'll get a proper look at it this September.
The company has a penchant for naming its cars after natural wonders, and the Torcal is no different. This model is named after the El Torcal de Antequera in Spain, "a dramatic limestone landscape of stacked rock formations, cliffs and labyrinths, shaped by nature over millions of years yet continuing to evolve."
While Bentley's keeping mum about what's in store, Autoevolution has spotted the thing being tested a couple of times, and it looks like an SUV with a sloping roofline. At the risk of repeating an image, here's the uncropped picture that the brand has supplied:
Engadget noted that the overall shape is similar to the EXP 15 concept from last year. However, the headlamps peeping through the concealing wrap are entirely different – and actually more conservative than you might expect for an upcoming electric model.
Top Gear's Jack Rix has actually had a gander at the Torcal, and described it as having a large grille with illuminating 3D diamonds for serious bling. Rix corroborated the spy shots of its luxurious interiors with a sweeping central infotainment display.
This five-meter-long (16-ft) SUV will likely be smaller than Bentley's big, loud Bentayga, and should manage more than 300 miles (480+ km) on a charge. We'll have to wait until the London reveal to hear about more specs and pricing.
For reference, the Bentayga starts at about US$230,000; I won't be surprised to see the Torcal come in somewhere around there, if perhaps a little lower.
All eyes will be on the British marque on September 23 to see if it can stick the landing with its foray into electric propulsion.
Source: Bentley Motors
