This one had me giggling like a little girl:
Bentley has decided to delay its electric vehicle plans.
The historic carmaker that’s headquartered in Crewe, Cheshire, has opted for a shift in strategy as they now plan to renew three models with petrol engines, instead of electric. The company originally planned to transition to a fully electric lineup by 2030 – under its Beyond100 strategy. These previous plans included offering only plug-in hybrids and EVs by 2026, then eventually phasing out hybrids for a zero-emission lineup.
But why, oh why are they seemingly defying the EU/BritGov’s NetZero diktat ?
Bentley CEO, Frank-Steffen Walliser, said: “There is a dip in demand for luxury electric vehicles, and customer demand is not yet strong enough to support an all-electric strategy.
“The luxury market is a lot different today than when we announced Beyond100.
“Electrification is still our goal, but we need to take our customers with us.”
That last sentence is just to appease the Greens.
Frankly — given that Bentleys have stood for “luxury + power” ever since they won several Brooklands and Le Mans races in the 1930s — there’s little reason to think that a typical Bentley customer should be any different in, say, 2030 (or ever) than they’ve been since those halcyon days in the 1930s.
Massive engines — gasoline/petrol-powered — with ripsnorting power and “sufficient” speed are a Bentley trademark. Hell, many Bentley customers — current and potential — are still seething about the company’s decision to dump the W12 in favor of a turbo V8.
And just as a reminder: Bentley is owned by Volkswagen (the W12 is actually a VW design from the Phaeton). VW is also the owners of other brands… and what are they doing?
Porsche, another brand that is owned by the VW Group alongside Bentley, recently announced plans to delay the launch of its latest EV due to low demand. Instead, the iconic German sports car marque plans to focus on internal combustion engines and innovative technologies such as wireless charging — recently demonstrated with the upcoming Cayenne EV.
Similarly, Audi, yet another VW brand, has abandoned its goal of becoming an all-electric brand by 2033, instead opting for flexibility based on market conditions.
Oh.
Yeah, and those “market conditions” are being signaled by their respective customer bases with a common voice: “Screw those stupid Duracell motors: we want real engines in our performance cars.”
I could have told them this would happen, and in fact I did on these very pages.
And hey, I don’t own stock in VW — but if I did, I would have dumped it the very second they announced their stupid all-electric / electric-only initiative.
I don’t own any VW stock either, but I do own shares in Ferrari ( RACE ) currently trading at around $ 475 up 10 fold since I bought it 10 years ago. Their focus is on hybrid systems to quiet the noise from the greenies. VW stock ( VWAGY ) still trades at around $ 10 a share, just like it did 10 years ago. Porsche shares are at $ 3 to $ 4 also about where they were 10 years ago.
Lessee… Stanley Motor Carriage Company went out of business in 1924. Suppose your great-grandfather had bought a used steamer in 1925 and put it up on blocks in the barn. What would it be worth today?
Of course a steamer wasn’t likely to burst into flames spontaneously.
.
Pretty much anyone with 2 brain cells knew that was completely stupid with dozens of manufacturers made the announcement about going 100% electric by some future date. Not just stupid, but beyond idiotic. How does one get to be CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation and make such dumb ass decisions? How can someone who spends millions on market research get it so wrong? But hey, mostly the thing I think happened was the massive govt subsidies that forced their hand.
This is America, where we made gasoline engines things of beauty and desire because we have GASOLINE to burn, so to speak. We built cars made from battleship armor, then made monstrous engines so we could hit 120 mph on city streets. Then we chromed those engines because moving fast wasn’t enough, those powerful engines had to look “cool.” We built 8-cylinder engines that sounded like thunder when they idled, and added twin 4-barrel carbs that sounded like tornadoes when the driver hit the gas and they started sucking air to feed the metal monsters.
You can’t do that with a motor you have to plug in and batteries you have to recharge while you visit some girly continental cafe and eat quiche and brie.
USA! USA! USA!
Let’s assume (ahem) that car buyers are basically rational. Stay with me. At the Bentley end, it’s all about choice. That’s their (and RR, Maybach etc) business model. Today, electric cars (at any price) offer less utility than an ice car. RVs already offer a price / performance ratio that matches or exceeds ICE cars. The torque the electric motors produce makes that performance available instantly at low revs. Weight, the enemy of performance in ice cars is not such an issue in EVs.
They have virtually no moving parts, and the electric motor technology is very mature.
They are much, much quieter than an ice.
The three things they don’t match today are range, charge time and charge points.
In 3-5 years EVs will offer a 1,000 k range. Charge time is already down to 30 minutes on a multi phase charger, and I note locally there are now two or three charge station operators.
So, in the near future, it will become rational to switch over.
My wife does 3000k a year, basically running errands, going to the shops. Her electric mini is easy to drive, quick and has zero running costs. Not one cent in fuel in three years. It is perfect for her.
Ok, depreciation on older EVs is horrible at the moment.
But sorry guys, all these makers are right, just their timing is slightly out.
I should add that the reason makers were going all in on EVs is two part. First, I am sure they can see the writing on the wall and that some point very soon EVs will be the majority of new vehicles – see above. Second is cost. Modern cars are built on platforms. For example, Audi Q8, VW Tourag, Porsche Cayenne, Bentley Bentayga and one or two other cars are all built on the same platform. The design of the platform allows for different engines Petrol / diesel, auto or manual, AWD or RWD. However those platforms are not designed to accommodate batteries or, say motors over each wheel. It is extremely difficult to retrofit an EV configuration into “legacy” platforms. I dont know what percentage of a car the platform makes up, but Im sure its a vast amount of the engineering – for structural and safety purposes.
So the makers planning cycles are such that the platform is the first bit of the car thats designed, they would be working now on designing 2028/30 platforms. The last thing they want is to spend god knows how much on developing a platform that wont be used & they certainly dont want to be developing parallel platforms.
Likewise, Californian and Eurpoean emission regulations are just getting stricter every year. The cost of constantly re-engineering ICE engines to meet new standards and deliver customer performance expectations is already massively distorting the industry. Look how many manual transmissions are left. You had Mercedes AMG putting turbo 4 cylinder engines and then trying to sell them as C63s. The performance might be kinda there, but certainly not the sound.
I also believe that makers are rapidly approaching the point where the cost of building an EV drivetrain is lower (perhaps significantly lower) than the cost of an ICE engine and drivetrain. They can put identical motors in a dozen different models and just use software to tweak the performance to suit. There are only 3 gears in an EV (Forward, Back and Park), must be infinitely cheaper than building the latest dual clutch 8 speed automatics.
Believe me, I get it. Its different. Its a different driving experience. I’ve refused up until recently to own a diesel vehicle. But I did, in a moment of weakness buy a BMW X5 40D. My first diesel car. I have to say it was a revelation. 9.5 litres per 100k in a truck, with very acceptable performance. 18 months ago I went into the BMW shop to buy an aftermarket warranty for it as I was planning on keeping it for a few years longer. Drove home in a i4, which is the BMW 3 series EV. It is very much the “modern way” no dead cows. No dead trees. Basically an app with wheels. But the real world performance was more than enough. Its quicker than any non M roadgoing BMW you can buy in NZ. Yes, there is a bit of “switching cost” but it is a remarkably good tool.
Before you go accusing me of having drunk the coolaid, I just traded it on a 2023 M5. The last of the fully ICE M5s. According to my wife Im having an old life crisis.
I’d agree that electric vehicles are a valid choice for certain applications like you describe. However I don’t think that amounts to any more than about 30% pf the Market. But the Greens and the Marxists politicians go way ahead of themselves, and since they don’t trust ( or believe in ) the marketplace they went ahead and tried to mandate the change. And since they also don’t understand product development or production lead times they set completely unrealistic deadlines. by 2040 things may change, but the market place and the consumers will decide. No amount of legislation will change that. and by 2050 it will no longer be a problem for me anyway.
My point is that as the utility improves there will (soon) come a point where there are no practical downsides to owning an EV. So, true consumer choice will drive the rational actor.
I believe Porsche have already put an EV round The Ring faster that the quickest ICE powered car. So, if absolute performance is your main driver, you have a clear choice. Shouldnt need government incentives. I dont believe Government incentives will motivate a single Benley or Rolls buyer, because its not about money. As soon as you can buy an EV rolls and not ever have to suffer range anxiety, I suspect it will be an easy sell for them. Smoother, quieter. Exactly what a RR buyer wants. Do they really care if their engine is a v12 or an EV? No, they are buying the experience.
If, in say 5 years you can get an equivalent or better priced EV with 1,000k range and five minute recharge I think they will quickly own much more than 30% of the market. Then it will be rational of the makers to end of life ICE platforms.
I think the real “petrolhead” market is a lot small than we think. Exhibit a is manual transmissions. I picked up a car magazine not so long ago and showed my wife. No manual options with Lambo, Ferrari, maserati, Mercedes hardly any with BMW or Porsche, almost no manuals available now for any japanese car.
The issue in ten or fifteen years is more likely going to be being able to buy petrol on your road trip.
Yes a Porsche Taycan has been around the Nürburgring in 7 Min and 7.55 seconds The GT3 RS Record is 6:49.28 so not quite as fast as an ICE production car YET. I’ve driven a Taycan and it is Indeed fast and feels every bit a Porsche. They are also rapidly closeing in on a quarter million $ Price Tag just like a GT3. You get what you pay for and at some point I may indeed trade my GT3 for a Taycan Tubo S Just not yet. and in 15 years I’ll be close to 90, so maybe not then either.
Stop it. I’ve been slobbering all over a GT4 for sale here locally.
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/porsche/718/listing/5517824199
It’s more than I can justify on a toy, and I really want a manual, but still…..
Nice dream you got there, but there is no battery technology existing or in the near future to support your claims of 1000k range and 5 minute charge time. No mention of the fact that EV’s are generally 2000 lbs heavier than equivalent ICE cars. Or that they chew thru tires faster and there is still not any real infrastructure for charging them out on the road during extended trips. Or that our aging electric grid is at or near capacity and probably won’t do well with millions of people switching from ICE to EV within the next few years. We won’t get into the discussion about battery fires, but yeah, that’s another major concern.
I agree that for many, an EV could cover 90% of their driving needs. Not necessarily better than an ICE, but it could handle the basics. It’s that remaining 10% that becomes problematic.
I also agree that the “platform” discussion is correct, automakers would love a cheaper to manufacture platform. That’s basically why the entire auto market is dominated by FWD. I remember back when people used to argue the merits of FWD versus RWD, but the real deciding factor wasn’t the customer preference – it was simply that FWD platforms were cheaper to manufacture.