2021 Bentley Bentayga V8 Sport Utility 4d on 2040-cars

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Watch VW Group Night kick off the Frankfurt festivities

The Frankfurt Motor Show is Volkswagen's home affair. As a result, the whole of the automaker group makes a big splash, even before the show doors open. We'll be live from the Frankfurt floor starting early tomorrow morning, but tonight we're posted up in the stands at the always-entertaining Volkswagen Group Night. To give you a taste of what it's like to be there, we're going to be shooting some man-on-the-scenes video as the night progresses. Below you'll find videos of all the best that VW Group brands – Audi, Lamborghini, VW, the lot – have to offer, as quick as we can upload them. So, enjoy the Short Cut Videos you see here. And stay tuned as we add more to the tally, below. And, of course, be sure to check in on Autoblog early and often tomorrow, when we bring you official debuts of new production vehicles and concept cars, a ton of new video content, live image galleries, and lots more.Seat Leon Cross Sport Bentley Bentayga Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder Volkswagen Multivan PanAmerican Edition Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo Concept Audi E-Tron Quattro Concept Audi A4 Ducati Monster 1200 R Volkswagen Tiguan Skoda Superb Combi Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupe and Cabrio Volkswagen Tiguan GTE Porsche Mission E Concept Volkswagen Group Night Finale Green Frankfurt Motor Show Audi Bentley Bugatti Lamborghini Volkswagen SEAT Skoda Videos Original Video Frankfurt 2015

2024 Bentley Edition 8 models signal time's up for the gas-only V8

Bentley might still be bidding its W12 engine goodbye with various swansong vehicles, but now it’s the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8Â’s turn to say adieu. At least in the Continental and Flying Spur models – the Bentayga will continue on with this powertrain for an unspecified amount of time. We donÂ’t have a hard cutoff in North America for the V8, but Bentley says production of its final 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 cars in Europe, the UK and the Middle East is to be completed soon with final deliveries in June. North America “will follow later.” Before you hop straight to the comments, know this doesnÂ’t mean Bentley is abandoning the V8 entirely. It announced alongside this news that an “all-new” V8 plug-in hybrid powertrain is on the horizon and will serve as the companyÂ’s flagship offering, technically replacing the W12. Output is pegged at 740 horsepower with this model, and all-electric range from the battery pack is estimated at 50 miles on the WLTP drive cycle – expect notably fewer miles of range in EPA testing. ThatÂ’s all we know today, but Bentley says more will be revealed in time As for what will replace the soon-to-be-retired gas-only V8 option, Bentley suggests hybrid powertrains would be used and that all of its model lines would offer a hybrid variant by 2024. The only model without a hybrid available yet is the Continental, so expect an announcement concerning that car imminently.  To celebrate the end of the current V8Â’s era, Bentley put together “Edition 8” versions of its Flying Spur, Continental GT and Continental GTC. ItÂ’s a North America-special and comes with lots of Mulliner options as standard equipment. The Continental models feature Edition 8 badges on their fenders, while the Flying Spur wears it on its D pillar. An Edition 8 motif can be seen embroidered on the seat backs and engraved on the treadplates, too. One particularly notable luxury touch is the Palm Fluting pattern (seen in the photo above) on its sumptuous seats, which Bentley says it has never offered on any of its core/mainstream models before. Deliveries of the Edition 8 will begin “imminently,” so if youÂ’re a particularly big fan of BentleyÂ’s current V8 and have money to spend, now is the time. Related Video

Bentley CEO says Mulsanne Convertible isn't going to happen [w/poll]

Bentley and Rolls-Royce may be as direct as competitors get, but that doesn't mean they go head-to-head on every model. Bentley is arguably more focused on its Continental line, with the pricier Mulsanne branching off of it. Rolls-Royce, meanwhile, only recently expanded (relatively) down-market with the Wraith and the Ghost on which it's based. For Rolls, it's long been about the Phantom and its coupe and convertible variants. And Bentley doesn't pose much of a challenge in that stratospheric segment.
Crewe discontinued the old Arnage-based Brooklands coupe and Azure convertible in 2009 and 2011, respectively, and hasn't rolled out a successor for either in the few years since. The high-end British automaker revealed a conceptual convertible based on the Mulsanne at Pebble Beach Concours last year and was said to be moving ahead with production plans, but the latest intel suggests that Bentley has taken it off the development table.
This according to Car and Driver, which spoke with Bentley's new chief exec Wolfgang Schreiber at the Frankfurt Motor Show. According to Schreiber, there just isn't enough demand worldwide to justify the development costs - even if it is based on the existing flagship sedan. Apparently Bentley has evaluated that beyond the US and Europe, they couldn't sell enough of them in other markets to make it worthwhile. We'd imagine some Middle-Eastern sheikhs might like to get their hands on a few, but apparently the higher priority is getting the Falcon sport-ute out the door.