Bentley rules out diesel for now

Posted Mon Mar 24 2008 7:23 PM by Viknesh Vijayenthiran

With almost one out of every two cars sold in Europe powered by a diesel and demand steadily growing in North America, carmakers that previously would have never been associated with the oil-burners are now examining the possibility of adding the frugal powertrains to their lineups. Bentley is a carmaker rumored to be investigating the use of diesel engines but latest reports claim the ultra-luxury make has no plans for them in the near future.

Last month, Bentley market director Adrian Hallmark told AutoTelegraaf that the high-torque and low-rev nature of a diesel would be perfectly suited to the Bentley brand, however the same source is now reporting that there’s not enough demand from customers to warrant investing in the new engines. Diesel’s low market penetration in the U.S., the single biggest market for Bentley, was another reason officials have delayed the introduction.

Strict fuel-economy and emissions regulations set to roll in over the next decade may eventually force Bentley to alter its stance but for now it appears that petrol will be the only option for some time to come. If it were to adopt a diesel powertrain, Bentley’s parent company VW has an assortment of powerful oil-burners including a brand new 6.0L V12 with more than 500hp that could be used.

As for rumors that Bugatti’s quad-turbo W16 engine could make its way into a new Bentley super-limo, the response from CEO Franz-Josef Paefgen is a resounding no.

Reader Comments

Mon Mar 24 2008 8:48 PM
rickybobby says

sounds good to me
but if they do ever build one, it better be one hell of a powerplant
with insane amount of torque
Mon Mar 24 2008 8:50 PM
Michael D. says

A powerful 500hp 6.0L V12 Diesel would have been very good here, but one never knows.
I do hear that a new V12 gasoline engine is under development for use in premium vehicles in VAG, I believe developed by Lamborghini and could find it's way into other applications, Including the next-generation full-sized Bentley series. The W16 could be Bugatti-exclusive and either be used in reported Royale-like Sedan (and possible Atlantic-like Coupe), which could share it's structure with the next full-sized Bentley. The Bugatti could also use a higher-tuned version, possibly turbo-fed V12; just basing this all on other reports from various other sites.

MotorAuthority