It has been confirmed that the bodies of the upcoming Bentley Bentayga SUV will be built in the Volkswagen Group’s Bratislava plant in Slovakia. The British marque’s plant in Crewe, England will then handle the final assembly.
Interestingly, Bentley had considered producing the interiors of the Bentayga in Crewe and then shipping them to Slovakia for installation. While speaking with Automotive News Europe the final production decision, a Bentley spokesman said “Bratislava will build the raw bodies, everything else will be done in Crewe.”
When production of the Bentley Bentayga kicks off, it will join the likes of the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg at the Bratislava plant.
Both V8 and W12 variants of the Bentley Bentayga will be offered with a plug-in hybrid version of the V8 to be made available a year after the car launches. There is also a possibility that a diesel driven derivative could be offered but a final decision on that won’t come before the end of this year. If a diesel is given the go ahead, the Bentley Bentayga will make use of Audi’s 4.2-litre V8 TDI also set to be used by the next-generation Porsche Cayenne.
From a visual standpoint, the design of the Bentley Bentayga will be much more in-line with the marque’s design language than the EXP 9 F concept originally unveiled to preview the automaker’s luxurious SUV. With that in mind, it will feature traditional Bentley quad headlights alongside a prominent front grille. Additionally, flowing lines will be present across the entirety of the SUV with the rear-end pinned to incorporate a prominent tailgate-mounted spoiler as well as a dual exhaust system.
[Via Automotive News]
