Bentley Announces SUV Powertrain Details: Plug-In Hybrid, Output Projections [Beijing Auto Show]

Bentley brought along its EXP 9 F SUV concept to Beijing. Before you ask, no, it hasn't been redesigned yet. But the automaker is providing more powertrain details for the production version, whatever it ends up looking like. We knew that the concept is fitted with a 600-ish-hp version of Bentley's twin-turbo W-12 engine backed by an eight-speed auto, and that a twin-turbo V-8 and a hybrid powertrain were possibilities. Now Bentley says the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 would make around 500 hp in this eventual model. Current applications of the engine range from 420 hp in the Audi S6 to 520 hp in the Audi S8; Bentley also uses the engine in the new Continental V-8, which is rated right at 500 hp. Comparison Test: 2010 Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed vs. 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost First Drive: 2013 Bentley Continental GT V8 Instrumented Test: 2012 Bentley Mulsanne The other bit of news is that the hybrid model would be a plug-in, and that it would be based around a V-6 engine. That engine/motorized transmission combo likely is the same supercharged V-6 that sees duty in the Volkswagen Touareg hybrid, among others. This one would get the requisite plug, and the battery pack likely would be different—possibly in both size and formulation—so as to provide a longer range and accommodate a plug-in's slightly different energy storage/use needs. Bentley predicts an electric range of at least 19 miles and a 0-to-62-mph time under five seconds for the plug-in variant. While Bentley calls all of these powertrains possibilities, we have a hunch that all three will make their way into the Bentley SUV at some point, and we've also heard that a diesel V-8 could make it in as well. An aesthetically altered concept, or even a production version, could be shown as early as the Paris show this fall. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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