News: Bentley's controversial SUV gets the green light

 

First presented at last year's Geneva Motor Show, the Bentley EXP-9-F concept SUV garnered more than a fair share of controversy for its styling. But, like it or loathe it, the big Bentley is now definitely heading for production.

Speaking at last week's Detroit Motor Show, Bentley boss Wolfgang Schrieber told reporters that, in spite of rumours that the SUV had been delayed because of the continuing global economic turmoil, it was in fact underway and due to be introduced in 2016.

"The main intention was not to show the final styling but to get feedback from the market," said Schrieber. "If you saw the styling, you would say, 'That is a real Bentley.'" 

The big Bentley will share its structure with the next-generations of VW Touareg, Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne, and will go on sale initially with the new 4.0-litre turbo V8 from the Continental GT and later with the mighty 6.0-litre W12. 

News: Hot Porsche Cayenne arrives but Lambo & Bentley may delay SUVs

Porsche has just launched a range-topping Cayenne Turbo S but its sister brands in the VW Group, Lamborghini and Bentley, may be delaying their own SUV projects because of darkening economic clouds.

The Cayenne Turbo S gets titanium-aluminium turbine wheels in the turbos to spool power up to a massive 542bhp, backed up by a more than ample 750Nm of torque. That means this 2-tonne 4x4 can sprint from 0-100kmh in a BMW M3-threatening time of just 4.5-seconds and run on to a top speed of 283kmh. Quite why you'd need a 4x4 with those kinds of figures, we can't quite imagine, but it's probably good fun.

Astonishingly though, Porsche claims that the extra power and performance over the standard Turbo model have not come at the expense of, well, expense. The Turbo S records the same 11.5-litres per 100km (about 26mpg) on the European combine cycle.

But while it's raa-raa all round for Porsche's hot 4x4, its VW Group sister companies, Lamborghini and Bentley, may be rolling back on their plans to launch (admittedly somewhat controversial) SUVs.

We've seen both the Lamborghini Urus and Bentley EXP 9F at various motor shows over the past year, and both their paths to production seemed pretty clear. After all, what the world's monied car buyers seem to want more than anything else are cars with premium badges, four wheel drive and chunky tyres. Porsche itself sells way, waaaaay more Cayennes than it does 911s and Boxsters, so both cars seemed to make perfect financial sense for Bentley and Lambo.

Today though, the word is that both projects are on hold. According to Automotive News, VW is starting to get a bit more careful about how it spends its money. The European car sales crisis that is so damaging the likes of PSA Peuegot Citroen and Fiat hasn't really started to affect the VW Group yet, but it seems that the bean-counters in Wolfsburg are starting to prepare for the worst, even if it never comes.