Bentley isn’t sometimes a model related to radical design experiments, however the brand new EXP 15 idea proves that the British luxurious automaker is absolutely able to problem expectations because it prepares to launch its first absolutely electrical car subsequent 12 months. Whereas it could simply be a design research for now, the EXP 15 offers a hanging preview of what the model’s electrified future might appear like — and it’s in contrast to something we’ve seen from Crewe earlier than.
Essentially the most fast factor you’ll discover is the EXP 15’s asymmetrical door setup. It has two doorways on the left facet and just one on the correct, which hints at its distinctive inside structure. This isn’t your customary four- or five-seat luxurious sedan. As an alternative, it’s a three-seater, with a place instantly behind the driving force on the correct and one other seat offset on the left rear. It’s Bentley’s interpretation of luxurious mobility, unconstrained by conference, and unapologetically totally different.
If all of it sounds a bit eccentric, that’s by design. Bentley pulled inspiration from its personal previous, most notably the 1930 Pace Six often known as the “Blue Prepare,” a automobile made well-known when Bentley chairman Woolf Barnato raced and beat a French categorical prepare throughout the continent. That very same spirit of boldness permeates the EXP 15, which Bentley refers to as a “sedan,” although its profile is far more in step with the modern strains of a Continental GT coupe.
There are nods to conventional British luxurious all through, however they’re blended with forward-thinking EV design cues. As a result of electrical vehicles don’t want conventional engine cooling, Bentley’s designers used the grille space as a canvas, including an ornamental illuminated ingredient that head designer Robin Web page describes as a chunk of “digital artwork.” It offers the EXP 15 a particular face whereas nonetheless holding with Bentley’s unmistakable DNA. Up entrance, the absence of a combustion engine allowed designers to repurpose the elongated hood, which now homes twin storage compartments that open from the middle.
The rear of the automobile will get simply as a lot consideration. There’s a tailgate that folds right down to reveal built-in picnic seating, a considerate and charming contact that speaks to Bentley’s quintessentially British aptitude. It’s straightforward to think about house owners organising trackside at a polo match or Goodwood Revival with their EXP 15 became a conveyable lounge.
Inside, the cabin balances trendy tech with heritage craftsmanship. Sure, there are screens — it’s an EV, in spite of everything — however Bentley’s designers have resisted the urge to go absolutely digital. Bodily local weather controls and traditional switchgear stay in place, whereas supplies come from a 250-year-old English textile maker, grounding the futuristic car in tangible custom.
Bentley says the EXP 15 straddles a center floor between its present lineup of the Continental GT, the Flying Spur, and the Bentayga. In accordance with Robin Web page, the sedan section is at the moment essentially the most troublesome to outline. Some clients nonetheless want the traditional three-box form, whereas others are gravitating towards extra monolithic or elevated silhouettes. The EXP 15 explores all of these instructions without delay, serving as each a design experiment and a dialog starter.
Even with its unconventional type and electrical coronary heart, the EXP 15 nonetheless feels unmistakably Bentley. There’s an plain heft and presence to its proportions, and the opulence of the supplies and finishes makes it clear that this automobile, idea or not, goals to hold ahead the model’s legacy. It would look in contrast to any Bentley we’ve seen earlier than, however in spirit, it’s proper in step with the model’s daring historical past.
From an organization as soon as recognized for constructing what Ettore Bugatti mockingly referred to as the “quickest lorries on this planet,” the EXP 15 exhibits that Bentley is greater than prepared to hold its fame for grand touring luxurious into a brand new, electrified period. Whether or not or not the manufacturing model carefully resembles this idea, one factor is definite — the way forward for Bentley will probably be something however boring.
