Early next year, Bentley->ke15 is set to release the 2017 Bentayga here on the U.S. market. With a starting price of $229,100 and power coming from a V-12, gasoline engine, the Bentayga will be one of the baddest SUVs on the market.

However, Bentley’s lead engineer, Peter Guest, has now confirmed that Bentley is actively testing diesel prototypes of the Bentayga.->ke5088 No major details about the diesel->ke1917 engine have been released, except that it will use an electric turbocharger. The technology goes by the short-hand name of e-charging and is also expected to be used on the diesel variant of Audi’->ke14s new Q7->ke14 crossover->ke288 next year.

E-charging is a new technology, but it was demonstrated by Audi last year on the 3.0-liter TDI that was available in the 2015 Audi A6. By e-boosting, Audi was able to increase the 3.0’s horsepower rating to 385 and virtually eliminate lag and the lack of low-end torque that has plagued turbocharged engines in the past. The downside to e-boosting is that it requires a 48-volt system to operate, as it draws upward of 7 to 8 kilowatts of power. It's because of this that it isn’t currently offered on more diesel models. The Bentayga already has a 48-volt system by design, however, as it was needed for the SUV’s dynamic ride system.

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Why it matters

So far, no release date for the diesel-powered Bentayga has been set, nor are we sure if it will make it to the U.S. Given the recent diesel scandal that is wreaking havoc on Volkswagen Auto Group, it is possible that release of new diesel models from any manufacturer in the group may be delayed, but for now that is purely speculation. Even if it does take a little while to make its debut, thanks to this e-boosting technology, it is likely that the diesel-powered Bentayga will post similar (if not better) performance numbers in comparison to its gasoline-powered brethren.

Bentley Bentayga

Read our full review on the Bentley Bentayga here.