New Bentley Continental GT twin-turbo V8 hybrid due this year

Production of Bentley’s iconic W12 engine will come to an end next month, but fear not – a new, even more potent powertrain will find a home in the Continental GT and Flying Spur this year. Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark confirmed to evo’s sister title Auto Express that both models will be offered with a plug-in hybrid V8 in the summer, replacing the existing pure-combustion engines. 

The new powertrain will arrive as part of a mid-life refresh for the Continental GT and Flying Spur – the latter is already offered with the same electrified V6 engine as the Bentayga SUV, but the facelift will bring plug-in power to the Continental for the first time. 

‘From after the middle of this year, we’ll be launching high-performance hybrids in the Continental GT and Flying Spur,’ said Hallmark. ‘Right now, 25 per cent of our order bank is made up of hybrid demand, for Flying Spur and Bentayga. And when we move to a new V8 PHEV in the Conti and Flying Spur, we expect that to be massively increased.’

As for the specifics of the powertrain, the PHEVs are expected to borrow hardware from Porsche’s Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid, which uses a 4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine with an electric motor housed inside an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Combined, the system offers 671bhp and 686lb ft of torque – 21bhp and 22lb ft more than the current Continental GT Speed – but Bentley may squeeze even more from the powertrain for its new models.

Hallmark said: ‘We’re not going purely for the economy of the PHEVs; we’ll talk later about power and performance figures, and the effective electric range, but there will be a step change from what you see today. Our performance hybrids will set new standards.’

The Bentayga, on the other hand, will continue to use the existing 3-litre V6 plug-in hybrid system with 456bhp and 516lb ft. There are no immediate plans to install the plug-in V8 in the SUV, but given that the Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid – which shares its MSB platform with the Bentayga – comes with a 729bhp electrified V8, it certainly isn’t out of the question.

As Bentley pivots towards hybrid powertrains, its EV roadmap has suffered delays due to technical issues. The first electric Bentley was initially due next year but will now arrive in 2026, and its plan to launch five all-electric models by 2030 has also been pushed back by a year.