Bentley Looks At Hybrids and Diesel, Saying Goodbye To The 6.75L V8

William Maley
Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com
August 21, 2012

Since February of this year, Bentley has said they're looking into the plug-in hybrid powertrain for their upcoming SUV. But the SUV isn't the only vehicle that Bentley is considering for a hybrid.

Car and Driver learned from former Bentley CEO, Wolfgang Dürheimer that future Bentley models, including the SUV, will be available with a plug-in hybrid option.

Also being worked on for future Bentley model are diesel engines. Dürheimer reveals that prototype vehicles with diesel engines are up and running. Dürheimer didn't reveal any details, but Car and Driver speculates that Bentley will use Audi’s next-generation V8 diesel engine producing more than 400 HP.

There is some bad news with Bentley's powertrains. The venerable 6.75L (or 6 3/4) twin-turbo V8 used in the Mulsanne will be retired.

“I believe the 6.75-liter V-8 can retire,” said Dürheimer.

The reason? Bentley is setting itself to be VW's center for 12-cylinder engines. Having your flagship model using a V8 is a no-no. However, the change won't be happening until the next generation Mulsanne is released, and no one knows when that will be happening.

Source: Car and Driver

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at william.maley@cheersandgears.com or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.