We already knew the Bentley SUV would get a plug-in hybrid version, but now it sounds like the overlords at Volkswagen might prescribe 3.0 V6 gas and diesel accompaniments to electric power, not a screaming "6 & 3/4 liter" V8.
The gas and diesel V6 are said to be paired with an electric motor that powers the SUV in "silent EV mode" for 30 miles before the regular engines "take over" and presumably begin recharging the electric powerplant.
Car says the Bentley SUV will share Volkswagen's MLBevo platform with the upcoming Audi Q7 and Q8. They're also saying it's being called "Falcon" at the Crewe, UK factory. Whether that's just an in-shop designation or the official name, I like it a whole lot better than "EXP 9" which sounds like a font or something.
Apparently high-performance Audi SQ7 and SQ8 SUVs are also in the pipeline, with 408 hp/664 lb-ft of torque V8s and a "brand new 5.0 V10 TDI that's under development" as engine options. So it would stand to reason that one (or both in non-US markets) will find their way into the Bentley "Falcon" SUV as headliner powerplants.
We do know Bentley scrapped the steampunk-Range Rover style of their 2012 SUV concept and are pretty much going with a more conservative Flying Spur-face-on-Range-Rover-Sport look. But the final form has yet to be officially revealed.
Image: Bentley Motors