Bentley is replacing its iconic W12 engine with a hybrid powertrain. While it may sound like sad news on first hearing, the good news is that the hybrid replacement will be the most powerful and the most advanced Bentley engine ever in its 105 years of history. The hybrid powertrain is a V8 hybrid, although not fully specified just yet.
The 6.0L twin turbo W12 engine from Bentley has been the brand’s flagship powertrain. Set to be retired by this summer, Bentley says that 105,000 units of the 6.0 L W12 have been built over the past two decades. News of the W12’s upcoming retirement has been circulating for a while now with the Bentley Batur sending it off in its most powerful iteration.
Full details of the new V8 hybrid powertrain have yet to be disclosed, but Bentleyt has shared a few key information with us. The first one is its power output which is said to be over 750 hp (metric) and that it should be at least 91 hp more powerful than the W12 engine that it succeeds. Bentley has also hinted that the V8 hybrid’s torque output will be of 4 figures and that it will be available over a wider plateau.
The new V8 hybrid is referred to by Bentley as an “Ultra Performance Hybrid Powertrain”. Though it may be a hybrid, it is a performance-focused one and Bentley promises that it will be the most dynamic, most responsive and most efficient system in the brand’s history. Even so, Bentley has shared that this powertrain emits a decent 50g/km of CO2 on the WLTP test cycle.
Besides those few technical details, Bentley has also shared images of this new powertrain in its facility. The company has also shared an audio clip of this new powertrain which previews the V8’s growl.
More details on Bentley’s new electrified powertrain will be released over the coming weeks. Meanwhile, customers can continue to enjoy the final few remaining examples of Bentley’s W12 and non-hybrid V8 engines, available through Bentley’s global retailer network.
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