Bentley has revealed the EXP 15, a concept car that will provide styling cues for its first electric vehicle (EV), set to be revealed next year.
The EXP 15 was inspired by the 1930 Bentley Speed Six Gurney Nutting Sportsman coupé, which was nicknamed ‘Blue Train’, after a race between another Bentley and a luxury train from Cannes to Calais, with the Bentley reaching London before the train had even reached Calais.
The concept car takes its three-seat layout from the Blue Train, and has a side profile reminiscent of it too.
It features a three-door layout, with a large space for luggage or pets where the front passenger seat would typically be
Robin Page, director of design at Bentley, said: “The beauty of a concept car is not just to position our new design language, but to test where the market’s going.
“It’s clear that SUVs are a growing segment and we understand the GT market – through four generations of the Continental GT – but the trickiest segment is the sedan because it’s changing.
“Some customers want a classic ‘three-box’ sedan shape, others a ‘one-box’ design, and others again something more elevated.
“So this was a chance for us to talk to people and get a feeling.”
The concept includes a number of traditional Bentley design features, such as a prominent grille, a long bonnet despite the concept’s lack of a combustion engine, and bulging rear haunches similar to the rear legs of a big cat.
EV propulsion allows the under-bonnet area to be repurposed for luggage storage, this is accessed through a pair of piano-style ‘engine covers’, which hark back to the style of engine cover used on classic Bentleys.
The concept also features a digital interface that can be switched off completely, revealing the wood veneer below the glass.
Page said: “We think people are going to get fed up with a fully digital experience and are pining for physical mechanical elements too.
“By combining the two, you can get the best of both worlds. It’s almost like wearing a beautiful mechanical watch on one wrist and a digital watch on the other.
“Imagine the magical experience you would get if mechanical and digital are overlayed together.”
Bentley does not intend to produce the EXP 15 EV concept, but is intended to display the brand’s future design direction, ahead of the launch of its first EV in 2026.
