Bentley CEO Franz-Josef Paefgen has repeatedly said in the past that the British luxury marque will introduce lower CO 2-emitting powertrains over the next several years, starting with the flex-fuel W12 in the Continental Supersports this fall. As part of the Volkswagen Group, Bentley is likely to follow some of the same powertrain paths as the rest of the group (i.e., diesel). However, it's likely that hybrids will be part of the picture as well.
Speaking of pictures, some new spy photos have turned up of a Continental GT running somewhere in southern Europe. The new shots may indicate that Bentley is already working on a hybrid Continental. Lots of unusual gear is visible through the back window and the photographer claims the car was running very quietly, a signal that may point to a hybrid running in EV mode.
If the Bentley is a hybrid, it's probably using the same system developed by VW, Audi and Porsche that will be appearing in the Touareg, Q5, Cayenne and Panamera in the next couple of years. Thanks to Andrus for the tip!
[Source: FastestCar.com]
https://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/07/spy-shots-is-bentley-testing-a-hybrid-continental-gt/
2009-06-07T11:01:00+00:00