The Bentley Flying Spur has been in the market for more than a decade now. The luxury sedan is one of the most popular models from the Bentley stable and is expected to be revamped as a much more distinctive luxury saloon in 2019. However, this will be the last Bentley to be launched before the company completely reinvents its cars for the electrification era. Read on to know more.

Three more models including the Flying Spur before ICEs bite the dust

The 2019 Flying Spur will take on the likes of Rolls-Royce Ghost and the Maybach S600. The current gen Flying Spur is actually a four-door version of its sibling, the Bentley Continental GT. Reports, however, suggest that the 2019 Flying Spur will look different from the Continental GT. This could also very well be Bentley's last car from the current era of design, before Bentley's first electric model will be introduced in a completely new avatar. Two other cars - the Continental GT coupé and the Continental GTC Cabriolet - are in the pipeline and will be launched later this year.

What's under the hood?

Currently, the Flying Spur comes packed with a V-8 engine that produces 521 horses or a W-12 unit that generates 626 horses. The 2019 Flying Spur will include the same V-8 and W-12 options along with a plug-in hybrid based on a V6 petrol engine. Once the Continental range (including the Flying Spur) has been completed, the automaker will turn its focus to the next step in its design, promising a more radical change to something more fresh and modern, according to Autocar.

Future plans for the luxury-giant

Apart from the Bentayga, Mulsanne, and the Continental twins (GT and Flying Spur), Bentley is planning for a fourth-model. Initially, it was assumed to be either a smaller sports car inspired by the 'Speed 6' concept, or a smaller SUV to sit below the Bentayga. However, now it is understood to be an electric car based on the Porsche-developed J1 platform, which is being introduced on Porsche’s first dedicated electric car in 2019, the Mission E. Bentley’s Electric Vehicle, which would bring with it a new nameplate to the range, would be a sleek four-door, halfway between a 911 and a Panamera in size but pitched more towards being a driver-oriented car. Bentley seems to be going real hard with EVs.

Our Take

Volkswagen has been pretty vocal about Bentley's approach towards EVs. In fact, Bentley was one of the first luxury automakers to announce its move towards electrification. Reports also suggest at least one other electric Bentley could follow, possibly a successor to Bentley's flagship, the Mulsanne, with a new model name. In addition to the stand-alone pure electric models, Bentley will have an electrified version of every model in its range by 2025, including plug-in hybrid models of the Continental family and the Bentayga. This will be very helpful in countries like China, which is quite strict about EV implementation, but also serves as important markets for luxury cars. Only time will tell if this head-start will help capture additional market share for Bentley. Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

References

Read our full review on the 2019 Bentley Flying Spur.

Read more Bentley news.