Bentley Motors revealed three hybrid concepts during the Beijing International Automotive Show earlier this month, but — as Bentley isn't content unless they're making the best — these hybrids are unlike any you've seen before. Where many luxury automotive companies make sacrifices to performance to bring weight down and efficiency up when designing with this technology, Bentley's unveiling shows just how luxurious and sexy a hybrid can be.
Aesthetically, the Bentley Hybrid Concept retains the look and feel of the high-end automotive brand's traditional design elements, but that doesn't mean they didn't take a few daring choices. Though these stylistic deviations were a little risky, they paid off in spades to create a vehicle that offers a driver power and luxury with some of that peace of mind which often comes with driving a hybrid and lessening one's carbon footprint on the world.
As described by Chief Executive of Bentley Motors, Dr. Wolfgang Schreiber, during a press conference in Beijing, "Adding performance and efficiency with no compromise to luxury — Plug-in hybrids are an important part of Bentley's exciting future." In recognizing the relative lack of hybrid and green tech in top-tier autos, Dr. Schreiber also made note of the pride they're experiencing as a brand due to "pioneering these developments in the ultra luxury sector."
Alongside the hybrid unveiled at the car event, the renowned auto manufacturer announced three more new vehicles, including the agile GT V8 S, a touring sedan Flying Spur V8, and the fastest production Bentley ever created, the Continental GT Speed. They also announced that a plug-in hybrid SUV will be available by 2017 and that, by the end of the decade, about 90 percent of Bentley's selection will also be available as plug-in hybrids.
