Bentley mulls two new models.

By -
Bentley is considering the development of two new models for the international market after its SUV, currently in the prototype stage, is launched internationally in 2016.

Chairman and chief executive officer Wolfgang Dürheimer said the company is looking at launching a two-seater sports car or a more conventional model that will sit between the Continental and Mulsanne. The company will concentrate first on whichever is more profitable, he said. "My own preference would be to build them both" said Dürheimer, "providing a business case for each can be made," he told.

Planning for the models is included in a new R&D spending round, the biggest in Bentley's history. The company will spend 800 million pounds (around Rs 6,482.3 crore) between now and 2016, mostly at Crewe, England, on new model development.

The said SUV, which is currently in prototype stage, will appear towards the end of 2015 and reach its first customers in 2016, Durheimer said. It will be powered by a redesigned version of the W12 engine. The new SUV will also be the first to get a plug-in hybrid powertrain with a 48.3km battery-only range, which Bentley will eventually introduce as a "core technology" for its model line-up.

The SUV, according to Dürheimer, will have its air suspension tuned for coping with suburban speed bumps than extreme off-road conditions, is also likely to be the first diesel Bentley, featuring an adapted version the 4.2-litre V8 diesel already used by Audi."We will offer the fastest, most powerful and most exclusive SUV on the market," Dürheimer added. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

All new Ambassador makeover by Hindustan Motors in 2012 .

By -
Image
Sixty years back, the word ‘car’ in India literally meant the Ambassador for most Indians. A lot has changed since then, with horde of automobile manufacturers active in the Indian market, sales figures for Hindustan Motors have hit an all time low 5,510 units in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year. Over the years, it has been the Indian political class that has been keeping Hindustan Motors rolling. The latest blow to Hindustan motors came from the Govt. of India itself, which replaced the Ambassador with cars like the  Maruti SX4  and the  Tata Indigo CS considering safety and performance issues. The next-gen Ambassador will feature structural, aerodynamic and aesthetical chages. Changes on board the 2012 Ambassador include new engine calibrations, an anti-lock brake system and aluminium alloy wheels. For comfort, there will be new leather seats coupled with wood grain interiors. For the first time, there will also be an integrated music system and redesigne...
Read more

Force One to get 4x4 in mid-2012

By -
Image
Force Motors, which launched its first SUV, Force One, last August will launch a new 4x4 version and a variant equipped with ABS by mid-2012. The new 4X4 was displayed at the Auto Expo last month. At the launch, the company had indicated its intentions to offer more features in the SUV at a later stage. These features have made it to the SUV, but the company has been tight-lipped about launch date  and price tag. The 4x4 variant will continue to be powered by the FM-Tech 2.2-litre common-rail turbo-diesel motor that develops 139bhp and 32.6kgm of torque. It will be offered with a five-speed manual gearbox as is the case with the 4x2 version. There will be no visual changes to  differentiate the 4x4 from its 4x2 sibling, except for  the badge. We expect the ABS-equipped 4x4 version to  cost at least Rs 1 lakh more than the 4x2 variant, which costs Rs 10.65 lakh (ex-showroom,  Delhi). 
Read more

Maruti 800 replacement coming soon.

By -
Image
Authentic Cars  broke the news on the upcoming Maruti 800 way back in July last year   and now we bring you more info on the car that will finally replace the venerable Maruti 800.  This new car, to be called the Alto 800 (codename: YE3), is based on the Alto, but with significant modifications done to make it cheaper. Not to be confused with the Alto sold in Japan, the new Alto 800 is based on the current generation Alto (YG4) but with a new body and interior. As seen in the pictures, the design is rather basic but there is more than a passing resemblance to the Japanese Alto, especially from the front. The nose gets high-mounted headlights, a slim, slot-like grille and there is a huge secondary air-inlet opening above and below the bumper. The styling is in line with the current-generation Suzukis, and details like the slanting window-line point to an aggressive tip-forward stance. Also, there is a prominent character-line that runs on the sides, right from the head...
Read more