Bentley goes Off-Road?

[/////AMG]

Bentley plans to make an off-roader, according to this week's Autocar. The report reckons thatЁTthe secret project will be powered by a 450bhp, 6.0-litre W12 engine.

It's all part of a dastardly plan by Bentley's parent company, VW, to expand the marque into new areas, following a surge in sales of the GT Continental. As brand extensions go, this is a doozy.

Sales volume is the commercial driver for the move. If Bentley can get to 10,000 units annually, it can be self-sustaining, is the thinking at VW's HQ.

Audi's upcoming off-roader, Q7 and VW's luxury brand's answer to BMW's X5 and the Merc M-class, provides the basis for the new Bentley, codenamed BY616. The platform is a joint development between VW and Porsche -- one of a long line of such projects stretching back to their common, pre-WWII parentage. The project will get a five-seat interior, unlike the Audi's seven seat arrangement.

The 4x4 will be revealed at the Frankfurt motor show in September.

www.autocar.co.uk

[/////AMG]

Funny article.
10,000 units annually = Joke

PS. It does look uber sexy though.

[mo_virgin]

Its too... economy. It looks almost exxactly like the tourag, Q7. and the cayenne. Nothing special about it... the exterior stling anyways.

[shakalaka]

looks like most other high end suv's. Whats a the price tag like? Around half a mil i would say. Just cauz of the name.

[gggunit]

Doesnt have the same appeal to it as other Bentley's do.. I think is Fugly

[habsfan]

for fucks sake please no more SUVs

[BlueGoblin]

This wouldn't be the first 4x4 Bentley - this one here was modified into a 4x4 wagon (4x4 in first and reverse only) as a sort-of one off by a UK coachbuilding company. They used a Turbo R as the basis of the conversion. This one is currently for sale for $322,000 Cdn...

I agree though, the world DOES NOT need any more SUV's, soft-roaders, 4x4 tall wagons, crossovers, etc.....

[M_Power]

Originally posted by shakalaka
looks like most other high end suv's. Whats a the price tag like? Around half a mil i would say. Just cauz of the name.

if they price it along those lines, it will not sell
people with 500g to burn dont want that type of vehicle

[ninjak84]

Like Porsche (Cayenne) and BMW (1-series), I think Bentley is trying to get a share of the market that they have no business being in.
They should stick to what they do best in my opinion.

[1badPT]

A Bentley SUV? First a Porche SUV and now this... Did hell just freeze over?

[/////AMG]

IF they plan on selling 10,000 annually, it can't be expensive, but obviously it will be and they won't sell anywhere near 10,000 annually.

[/////AMG]

Ouch, look at the estimated price! Also, it says nothing about 10,000 anually eithe, just says 2,000... for now.

Bentley's Flying Leap: VW suggests sport/ute for sports car subsidiary

Though Bentley execs in Crewe swear they have no such plans, AutoWeek has obtained details of a secret 4wd Bentley SUV that, if approved, could radically alter the status quo at the upper end of the SUV ranks.

Powered by a 6.0-liter 450-hp W12, the proposed SUV codenamed BY616 is the most luxurious among a number of proposals by parent company VW to expand the Bentley marque against a backdrop of surging sales, renewed brand awareness and a growing customer base.

The big new Bentley is derived from the upcoming Audi Q7—Ingolstadt’s answer to the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz M-Class—due to be unveiled at Frankfurt in September. However, like Bentley’s recent models, the BY616 was conceived with a unique body and interior, the latter forgoing the Audi’s seven-seat layout for a more commodious five-seat layout.

Production of the proposed model was rejected by Bentley boss Franz-Josef Paefgen in December. But there remains a strong lobby of support for the new vehicle within the upper echelons of VW, which is keen to see the British carmaker’s long-term production volume rise to above 10,000 annually. Paefgen has had disagreements over SUVs before: When boss of Audi, he refused to build an Audi version of the Touareg/ Cayenne, instead commissioning the A6 allroad.

The idea behind BY616 stems from the success of the 6.0-liter, 450-hp W12-powered Touareg Sport. Produced in a limited run of 500, none of which came to the States, the $100,000 super-ute sold out within a month of announcement last September (Oct. 4, 2004).

BY616 price estimates of $200,000 aren’t unreasonable, with proposed production about 2000 vehicles annually over 10 years.

[BlueGoblin]

I think that the 10000 units referred to total Bentley production, not just this thing.

Bentley's just won't be the same at that level of production. Ford ruined Aston Martin with higher production volumes too. Its not just the exclusivity factor; its all the shortcuts they take to profitably make so many cars. I still like the DB7 and DB9, but really they are little more than upmarket XK8's and sport parts from every Ford partsbin. Vents from a Ka, switchgear from a Volvo S80, engine is two Taurus v6's glued together....

Sad to see another classic marque vanish into a caricature of itself.

[finboy]

Originally posted by habsfan
for fucks sake please no more SUVs

[dkny_stylez]

10,000 sold annually

[scottgmclean]

Everyone is so worried about fuel running out... its going to run out one day so why not enjoy it while it lasts, so I say yes to fuel guzzling 4*4s. I like the new bentley off roader. Iv always loved the flying spur and now have totally fallen i love with this. I read in a magazine that the price wil be around £120000, which if you really think of it.. thats cheap!

Its a great design.. just look at it ^^^. I WANT ONE!!

[Supa Dexta]

10,000! so after the dozen rappers get one, a dozen ballers, a dozen rich guys, a dozen celebrities, and a few nobodys with cash.. well thats 50, we'll hit that mark in no time..

[benyl]

Thanks for bumping an old thread.

[jdm_jspec]

[shakalaka]

Originally posted by benyl
Thanks for bumping an old thread.

hahah WORD! I remember reading this thread like last year or something.