2022 Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid on 2040-cars

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Bentley Continental GT V8 and Toyota 4Runner | Autoblog Podcast #604

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. First, they talk about driving the 2020 Bentley Continental GT V8 First Edition, followed by the 2020 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road. Then they revive a format called "This or That," discussing the Jeep Wrangler vs. Gladiator, Subaru Forester vs. Outback, Mustang vs. Camaro vs. Challenger, and whether they'd rather spend $25,000 on a new or vintage car. They've got an update on a previous Spend My Money segment, and, finally, they help another listener pick a daily driver. Autoblog Podcast #604 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown 2020 Bentley Continental GT V8 2020 Toyota 4Runner This or That: Jeep Gladiator or Jeep Wrangler Subaru Forester or Subaru Outback Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro or Dodge Challenger Vintage car or new car Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: Podcasts Bentley Chevrolet Dodge Jeep Subaru Toyota Truck Coupe SUV Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Performance Classics

W12-powered Bentley Batur coupe shows its swept-back profile

Bentley's Mulliner division is nearly ready to introduce the Batur, a limited-edition coupe designed to preview a new design language and to celebrate the W12 engine. The big coupe remains shrouded in darkness, but a new teaser image gives us a better look at its silhouette. Viewed from the side, the Batur (which is named after a crater lake in Bali, Indonesia) looks like it's longer than the current-generation Continental GT. Its front end wears single-piece swept-back headlights rather than the twin oval units fitted to the Continental GT and its rear lights look thinner. We're told that the coupe "showcases a new design language for Bentley," one that puts a new spin on classic styling cues and relies "on contrast to provide definition." This design language will permeate the EVs that Bentley will launch starting in 2025. While the Batur's sheet metal previews a range of upcoming battery-powered cars, its drivetrain is very much rooted in the present. The model will benefit from an evolution of the familiar twin-turbocharged W12 that delivers more torque and horsepower than any variant of the engine to date. Bentley stresses that "advanced chassis systems" will ensure that the Batur is engaging to drive even on a twisty road. Bentley will introduce the Batur in Monterey, California, at 8:00 p.m. Pacific time on August 20 (that's 11:00 p.m. in New York City). Full details will be released when the veil comes off, and we wouldn't be surprised if every build slot is spoken for by the time of the unveiling — few-off models are in hot demand and the Bacalar unveiled in 2020 was sold-out before members of the public saw it in the metal. And, the odds of seeing two identical examples of the Batur are low regardless of how many Bentley chooses to build. The company notes that buyers will have the option of customizing the color and finish of nearly every surface; 3D-printed 18K gold parts will even be offered. Related video:

Lamborghini and Bentley rack up record sales in 2022

Sister companies Lamborghini and Bentley independently announced that they set a sales record in 2022. Both firms posted a big increase in deliveries, and their announcement comes shortly after Bugatti and Rolls-Royce released their own record-breaking 2022 sales figures. Lamborghini delivered 9,233 cars in 2022, an increase of 10% over 2021 (which was a record year as well). Its best-selling model is the Urus, which accounted for 5,367 deliveries (a 7% increase over 2022). That's not surprising; SUVs sell well. What's rather stunning is that Huracan deliveries soared by 20% to 3,113 examples in 2022. Finally, Lamborghini delivered the last 753 examples of the Aventador. Geographically, the United States remains Lamborghini's biggest market; the company delivered 2,721 cars there in 2022 (an increase of 10% over 2021). China takes second place with 1,018 deliveries (up 9%) followed by Germany (808 cars; up 14%), the United Kingdom (650 cars; up by 15%), and Japan (546 cars; up 22%). All told, deliveries in the EMEA region(Europe, Middle East and Africa) jumped by 7% to 3,484 cars. The company's outlook for 2023 is bright. It will notably unveil the Aventador's hotly-anticipated successor, and the yet-unnamed model will stand out as its first series-produced hybrid model. Its historic factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy, will keep busy as well. "We now have the opportunity to focus on our next objectives also thanks to an 18-month waiting list," said company boss Stephan Winkelmann. While it's too early to tell if 2023 will be another record year for Lamborghini, executives stress that they want to keep the company's growth in check. The aim isn't to rival, say, BMW in terms of volume. "The idea will always be to have one car less than demand," Andrea Baldi, the head of the Americas region for Lamborghini, told Autoblog in 2022. "We will never become unexclusive. That is a promise." Bentley is celebrating for many of the same reasons: It sold 15,174 cars in 2022, an increase of 4% over 2021 and its first annual result above the 15,000-unit mark. Here again, there are some interesting surprises hidden in the numbers. Its best-seller was the Bentayga, it represented 42% of the firm's sales, and 2022 was the big SUV's most popular year — that's an impressive feat for a car released in 2015. The Continental GT range represented 30% of sales and the Speed variant accounted for 31% of those. The Flying Spur represented the remaining 28%.