Bentley Blog

The stricter fuel mileage regulations like the CAFE or Corporate Average Fuel Economy have been putting some pressure on car manufacturers in several aspects of their business. It seems Bentley gives us their first offering at the Detroit Motor Show to help improve the fuel consumption of their vehicle lineup. The luxury carmaker now gives engine options for their Continental GTC and Continental GT.

The new Continental GT will have under its hood the intercooled, turbocharged 4.0L V8 powerplant which is similar to the engine of the S7 and S8 of Audi. The cheapest car of the Bentley lineup will be able to output 487 lb-ft and still a monstrous 500 horsepower.

The Continental draws its DN forom the Phaeton D-platform of Volkswagen. The power of the engine is transferred to the wheels thru the new automatic, close ratio 8-speed gearbox that has an all wheel drive capability. This set up can bring the Continental GT from 0 to 60 in just 4.6 seconds with its top speed pegged at 188 miles per hour.

Given the smaller engine Continental GTC and GT V8 can boast of a 40% improvement in fuel consumption and emissions of carbon dioxide.

Bentley lovers will be able to distinguish the W12 dependent variants from the newly unwrapped Continental with V8 engines thru certain aesthetic updates and unique rims.

The new Bentley vehicles will be on the showrooms before the end of this year with pricing expected to be announced before the official launch. It is expected to compete with the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, CL63 AMG by Mercedes-Benz, BMW M6, Aston Martin DBS, and the Gran Turismo Coupe of Maserati.

If ever you have placed your order, 12-12-12 predictions anyone? So just hope that the car be delivered to your doorstep before that date comes!

Tags: Aston Martin DBS, Bentley, Bentley Continental GT, Bentley Continental GT V8, BMW M6, Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, Gran Turismo Maserati, Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG.

The new SUV of Bentley will not only carry the Bentley emblem and be the most luxurious SUV in the market when it rolls out in 2015, it is also making sure that it will have the power by getting a 12 cylinder powerplant.

Bentley will be the first brand to make use of a as dependent 12-cylinder engine in a luxury sport utility vehicle. The engine going under the hood of the Bentley SUV will most likely be a new version of the W12 which is currently being used for the Continental lineup.

According to the CEO of Bentley, the W12 gives the Bentley SUV some packaging advantage side by side a V12 but the engine bay of the SUV will most likely be configured to also accept it. This is because the luxury car marque is also planning to make a V12 version of the SUV set to follow the petrol sibling in the production line after a few years. This V12 might be a new version of the 6.0L 493 bhp V12 TDI of Audi that is currently used for the Audi Q7.

In order to get the SUV into production, Bentley tapped the services of Rolf Frech, chief Porsche engineer. The new engineer boss will spearhead the the SUV project bringing with him an extensive experience in making SUVs like the Porsche Cayenne.

Renderings of the SUV set to roll out by 2015 have been floating around the web. The launch is scheduled in time when the sales of the other vehicles are expected to go down. The date of production will actually be dictated by the cycles of the other Bentley models. A model’s cycle usually lasts from 6 to 8 years so the introduction of the SUV will be able to cover for any lull in sales.

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Bentley is attempting a new strategy in order to keep the eyes of their wealthy clients on their showrooms. The luxury carmaker is set to introduce a new product following an 18-month cycle. The new product schedule will spawn new variants of their current lineup like a convertible version of their Supersports coupe.

According to the research team of Bentley, owners on the average only use their cars for about a year or a year and a half before they look for a new ride to get their hands on. They also found out that when the car marques offer a coupe and a convertible version, the consumers will most likely get both vehicles to satisfy their craving for choices.

Bentley recently released a new video and some pictures as part of their PR push. Click on the video below:

The Continental Supersports Bentley Convertible was unveiled during the 2010 motor show in Geneva and it features a W12 twin-turbo 6.0L engine with 621 bhp ad a torque of 590 lb-ft. With its AWD and quick shift technology, this car can zoom from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds. Its top speed is pegged at 325 km/h.

Tags: auto news, Bentley, Bentley business plan, Bentley models, Bentley news.

Bentley recently announced that its Continental range of sedan, coupe, and convertible will only be marketed as flex-fuel-only cars by June 2010. This move is to meet the goal of the company to reduce the carbon dioxide emission of their fleet by as much as 15% by 2012.

The range of Continentals will get the flex-fuel variant of Bentley’s W-12 6.0L engine. It will only be the powerplant that will be offered for the range. The engine can operate using gasoline, bioethanol E85, or a any proportions of the mix of bioethanol and gasoline.

The 2011 Supersports Convertible from the Continental range which was unveiled during the recent Geneva Motor Show is also flex-fuel capable. The Supersports convertible is claimed to be the fastest convertible the brand has ever produced.

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Tags: Bentley Continental, Flex-Fuel, Green Cars.

Do you know what Denzel Washington and Kim Kardashian have in common? No, it’s not talent. And it has absolutely nothing to do with Hollywood, but it sure does come with fame. It’s their choice of wheels— Bentley Continental GT.

While the GTC Speed has been around since August 2008, as well as the Flying Spur Speed saloon, their convertible sister is yet to receive the gift of speed from the Bentley geniuses. A prototype of the 2010 Bentley Continental GT has been spotted in the Nurburgring circuit in Germany during a test drive.

Okay, not so much has changed since we last saw it, but at a closer look, it has been given a more aggressive look courtesy of the mesh-grille and lowered intakes and height. Looking closer still, the steering wheel was given a new tri-spoke emblem with metallic accents as the rim bears a stitched leather design.

Like its older brothers, the 2010 GTC Speed will get a revamped 6.0L W12 twin-turbocharged engine. A new crankcase is also in order; much lighter camshaft and a speedier cam sensor are also added. Additional boost pressure also comes with the turbo engine.

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Tags: 4, Bentley, Bentley Continental, Bentley Continental GT, Bentley GTC.

The current version of the Bentley Arnage is showing some age when lined against ultra luxury cars like the Phantom from Rolls Royce or some of the Maybach saloons, but a replacement for the Arnage is in the works.

Bentley will be starting production of the next generation model by next year but has confirmed that the car will be taking spotlight in the 2009 Pebble Beach motor show this coming August.

The new model will have a higher tag price compared to its current version. Some are speculating that it might be positioned in a higher bracket of the market. The replacement Arnage might meet head on with the Phantom of Rolls Royce while the latter is sending out the Ghost to challenge the Flying Spur of the Bentley Continental line.

How the car will be called has not been revealed but executives from Bentley promised that it will soon be known this summer. The price of the vehicle will also be in accordance to the exclusivity of the car.

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Tags: Bentley, Bentley Arnage.

Amid the global drop in sales of luxury cars, Bentley is aiming high to make all of its fleet operate on biodiesel. The first step to achieve this goal is by making a big investment to fund the strategy the company wants to take.

The luxury car manufacturer expedites the production of their first biodiesel fueled car and aims to unveil this Bentley during the Geneva Auto Show in March.

Details about the car’s feature were not disclosed but top executives promised that the vehicles will still be true to the Bentley tradition. The performance will still be excellent and the engineers are also aiming for fuel efficiency and passing CO2 emission standards.

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Fresh from their assembly lines, Bentley will reveal to the auto world the newest member of the Speed range of Continental GTC during the Detroit Auto Show.

The new GTC Speed boast of a more powerful beast under its hood, a 600 horse power with 553 lb-ft torque 6.0L twin turbocharged engine. Over its older sibling, this version of GTC Speed is stronger by 48 hp and 74 lb-ft of torque.

The newest member of the Speed portfolio is the most powerful Bentley convertible to date. It can zoom from 0 to 60 miles per hour in a blink of 4.5 seconds. Its top speed when its roof is retracted is 195 mph. It can blaze on the road at 200 mph when it is closed.

The standard release of the new version is equipped with a better steering system that responds faster. Ride quality is also improved a lot with minimal friction design of the dampeners. The bushings of the rear axle were also made stiffer and the total ride hide made lower to further enhance performance.

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The 2010 Bentley Azure T is scheduled to debut in the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show this November 21. This Bentley release is perfect for those who want a Rolls Royce luxury but want to be on the driver seat.

The Azure is an addition to the range of T variants by the car manufacturer that gave us the Arnage. The Azure T gets the same power plant under its hood, a 6.8L V8 with twin turbo coupled with a ZF six speed automatic transmission. This car can certainly blaze on the road with 500 horse power with a torque of 732 lb-ft.

The Azure T sprints from 0-60 mph in a matter of 5.2 seconds and reaches a top speed of 179 mph. Comparing the Azure to the Arnage, the older car is slower than 0.4 second and has a lower output at 450hp.

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The mortgage crisis and the credit crunch have made business difficult for common car manufacturers like Toyota and General Motors. The percentage of sales is down double digits. Even premier car makers are not spared. Bentley, a brand of Volkswagen, may not be able to repeat their record breaking 2007 performance this year.

Bentley’s sales are down by 20% in 2008 with estimates of only 8000 sales compared to 10014 cars in 2007.

The car manufacturer has made cuts in production this year. Further decrease might be ordered because of the decline in sales. The workforce of the company was asked to only work 3 days per week. The plant’s plan to decrease production further by 15% brings no good news to their workers.

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