Bentley has finally put a name to the car that will take the British luxury brand into the all-electric age. The new Bentley Torcal will be the company’s first EV when it arrives in 2027, and a fresh teaser image gives us the clearest look yet at the production car’s design.
The picture shows the Torcal from the rear, with a sharply raked back window, a substantial roof spoiler, slim horizontal rear lights and Bentley lettering spread across the tailgate. There’s also a new-style lower bumper treatment and a cleaner, more modern shape than we’ve seen from Bentley before.
It’s only a small glimpse, but the Torcal appears to move Bentley’s design on from the more upright, traditional look of the Bentayga, Continental GT and Flying Spur – as previewed in a previous teaser image. The rear window and spoiler give it a more sporty, coupe-like feel, while the wide shoulders and prominent Bentley badge still make it look suitably substantial.
Bentley has confirmed that the Torcal will be revealed in London on 23 September, joining the Continental GT, Flying Spur and Bentayga as the company’s fourth core model line. It will also be the first Bentley designed from day one to be purely electric.
The Torcal has previously been referred to internally as Bentley’s Luxury Urban SUV, which gives a fair idea of where it will sit in the range. It is expected to be a little smaller than the Bentayga, Bentley’s current best seller, but it won’t replace that car.
Instead, Bentley sees the Torcal as an additional model aimed at attracting a different sort of customer. The company will continue to sell the Bentayga alongside it, including plug-in hybrid versions, while the Torcal takes Bentley into a new part of the luxury EV market.
Bentley chairman and chief executive Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser has previously told The Independent that the company doesn’t want to force existing petrol or plug-in hybrid customers into an electric car.
“I think that’s one of the tricky tasks that we are heading for – where’s really the interest and how big is the market in reality,” Walliser said.
“Part of the Bentley strategy is not to replace a car, so Benteyga will continue, so we don’t have to, let me call it, force people to change from a combustion engine or plug-in hybrid car to today into an electric car. So, we are targeting and looking for new customers that’s in addition to our business.”
That means there won’t be a hybrid Torcal. Bentley has been clear that its first EV will stay an EV, even as some rival luxury brands have looked again at plug-in hybrid power to cover slower-than-expected demand for electric cars in some markets.
Walliser said: “I strongly believe we have a very interesting offer, and we have no intention to put an ICE engine in and to put a plug-in hybrid drivetrain in. Number one, technically it’s not feasible. And number two, if that’s not part of our strategy – we split the strategy.”
The biggest technical headline is likely to be charging. Bentley is targeting the ability to add around 100 miles of range in roughly seven minutes, which would make the Torcal one of the quickest-charging electric cars on sale.
Bentley hasn’t yet confirmed what battery it will use, how far it will go between charges or how much power it will have. Nor has it said whether the Torcal will use one electric motor or a pair of motors to provide four-wheel drive. The latter would be expected with a high-power, all-wheel-drive set-up fitting neatly with Bentley’s plans for the car, particularly given the company’s focus on long-distance comfort and effortless performance.
Walliser has said: “Just to remember, we are targeting a charging speed of a hundred miles in approximately seven minutes. And again, we are looking to create a segment and the type of car that only Bentley can do.”
The Torcal could also borrow some design thinking from the Bentley EXP 15 concept revealed last year. That car wasn’t a preview of the production model in the usual sense, but it was designed to show where Bentley’s styling, interior thinking and use of technology could be heading.
The EXP 15 was a raised electric grand tourer with a very long bonnet, a cabin pushed far back and a bold upright grille that doubled as a digital light display. It also introduced Bentley’s new “prestigious shield” rear design, with a broad, clean tailgate and strong rear haunches. The Torcal teaser image appears to share some of that thinking, particularly in the treatment of the rear end.
Bentley has also been looking at how it can keep traditional craftsmanship while making more use of screens, digital controls and new materials. The EXP 15 featured a dashboard that could switch from a digital display to a wood veneer surface, while the concept’s interior mixed physical controls with a large screen and a central “mechanical marvel” display.
It’s unlikely that every feature will make production, but the Torcal should give us a much better idea of how Bentley plans to balance old-fashioned luxury with the requirements of an electric car.
The Torcal name follows Bentley’s recent habit of looking to dramatic landscapes for inspiration. Bentayga was named after Roque Bentayga in Gran Canaria, while Bacalar and Batur took their names from lakes in Mexico and Indonesia.
Torcal comes from El Torcal de Antequera in Andalusia, Spain, a rugged limestone landscape known for its stacked rock formations, cliffs and winding pathways. Bentley says the name also comes from the Latin word “torquere”, meaning to twist, which is also where the word torque comes from.
Bentley chairman and chief executive Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser said: “For 107 years Bentleys have been the most incredibly complete cars - effortless performance, outstanding comfort, exquisite British handcraftsmanship using the best natural materials and a soundtrack with soul. Our new Torcal sets extraordinary benchmarks in every area that matters, and may just be the most considered car in our history.”
The full reveal on 23 September should answer the biggest questions around the Torcal’s design, cabin, power, range and price.
