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Bentley W12 engine production will officially end in April 2024

We knew the Bentley W12 engine had an expiration date before, but it’s going to come up even quicker than expected. Revealed today, Bentley says the last W12 engine it produces will be in April 2024. ThatÂ’s only one year and a couple of months away! Previously, Bentley made it clear that it would only sell PHEVs and EVs by 2026, implying the W12 was done for. It wonÂ’t last long enough to bump into that 2026 limit now that the 2024 production end is set. By the time its end date rolls around, Bentley will have made over 105,000 W12 engines since the 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged unit was introduced for 2003. Each of those engines was hand-built by a team of craftspeople — Bentley says each engine takes approximately 6.5 hours to complete. Which Bentley models are going to be made available with these final W12s, you ask? The real celebration for Bentley is happening with the Batur, a small run of Mulliner coach-built coupes based on the Continental GT. Final validation just wrapped up for the Batur version of the W12, and itÂ’s the most powerful yet at 740 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque. Versus the W12 found in other Bentley models, the Batur features reworked intake, exhaust and cooling systems along with a revised engine calibration. Unfortunately, all 18 Baturs (pic below) are already spoken for. If you still want a W12, Bentley says it has limited order slots left for the Continental GT Speed, Bentayga Speed and Flying Spur Speed. Additionally, Bentley will allow you to spec it in either the Continental GT Mulliner or Flying Spur Mulliner. No other new Bentley orders will be W12-compatible between now and production completion. The company warns that there are only a limited number of build slots left, so anyone still on the fence should act quickly if they want the W12.  Over the years, Bentley says the W12 has seen a 37% increase in power, 54% increase in torque and 25% reduction in emissions. The biggest changes came in 2015 when Bentley redesigned the engine “from the sump up” for the launch of the Bentayga SUV. As of today, there are 30 people involved in the engine assembly process. Bentley says it aims to retrain and redeploy all 30 into different positions once W12 production ceases Related video: 2024 Maserati GranTurismo walkaround

Editors' Picks April 2021 | Honda Accord, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and more

The month of April saw us award Editors' Picks status to a couple mega-luxury vehicles and a couple long-time standbys that recently went through mid-cycle refreshes. We drove plenty of other cars that didn't quite reach the bar for Editors' Picks status — BMW 4 Series, Infiniti QX55 and the Mitsubishi Outlander among others — but the four you'll see below stood out as the best this month. In case you missed our previous couple Editors' Picks posts, hereÂ’s a quick refresher on whatÂ’s going on here. We rate all the new cars we drive with a 1-10 score. Cars that are exemplary in their respective segments get EditorsÂ’ Pick status. Those are the ones weÂ’d recommend to our friends, family and anybody whoÂ’s curious and asks the question. The list that youÂ’ll find below consists of every car we rated in April that earned the honor of being an EditorsÂ’ Pick. 2021 Aston Martin DBX 2021 Aston Martin DBX View 16 Photos Quick take: With attractive styling and a gorgeous yet functional interior, the V8-powered DBX is a legitimate crossover worthy of the Aston badge. Score: 8 What it competes with: Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus, Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 Pros: Mega style, fantastic driving dynamics, a true and faithful Aston Martin Cons: Very expensive, only average infotainment From the editors: Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore — “The DBX captures the spirit of Aston Martin in a modern crossover. That's not an easy thing to do. I expected the DBX might look the part, but lack functionality. Or it would be a decent crossover, but fall short of my idea of an Aston. The DBX did neither. It exceeded my expectations and is an entertaining vehicle to drive. The styling is interesting and evocative, and the AMG-sourced powertrain delivers proper performance. I also loaded it up with groceries and a carseat fits pretty well. Mission accomplished for Aston." In-depth analysis: 2021 Aston Martin DBX First Drive Review | A crossover that makes you forget itÂ’s a crossover   2021 Bentley Flying Spur 2021 Bentley Flying Spur V8 View 20 Photos Quick take: There are technically competitors to the Flying Spur, but nothing matches it stride-for-stride in every category. ItÂ’s the Bentley flagship product now, and it flies the brandÂ’s flag with both gusto and excellence. You can't go wrong whether you spec the W12 or V8 either.

Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 gets positive reactions on auto show circuit

Bentley is in the midst of a world tour with its EXP 10 Speed 6 concept. Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show last month, the concept subsequently appeared in New York and now in Shanghai, and will stop in the Middle East on its way back home to England. The purpose: to gauge reactions from potential customers. And so far it's reportedly been pretty good. Speaking with Autocar in Shanghai this week, Bentley CEO Wolfgang Durheimer said most of the potential buyers who spoke to the company after seeing the concept have encouraged Crewe to build it. The only adjustments it's been asked to make were to the front end. Those LED ring headlights look interesting, but would be unlikely to make production. And the grille would likely be more swept back than upright. The process is similar to how Bentley is evolving the EXP 9 F crossover concept into the production Bentayga. The company is listening to customers about what they like and don't like, and adjusting accordingly. Of course none of that means that the EXP 10 Speed 6 will actually see production. It would still need the green light from parent company Volkswagen, which has been cutting back on development spending lately. And with the Bentayga yet to reach showrooms, Bentley has its hands full at the moment. But the segment in which this luxury GT would compete – against the likes of Aston Martin and Maserati – is not one where the VW group really participates at the moment. Neither Lamborghini, Audi nor Porsche have a front-engined sports car in this segment, with only Bentley's own Continental GT coming close. The potential to take a slice of a different pie could prove enough to convince the powers in Wolfsburg to sign off on the EXP 10 Speed 6, especially if it can be based on an existing architecture and shared with other divisions. Related Video: