We already know Bentley’s working on a new SUV model due sometime in 2014 or 2015, and we also know that it will be instantly recognizable as a Bentley despite almost certainly riding on Porsche Cayenne running gear.

However, now we also know that it will feature a 12-cylinder gasoline powerplant, which should make it the first vehicle from a mainstream manufacturer to do so.

Of course, sister brand Audi already sold a version of its Q7 with a 12-cylinder engine but that featured a diesel unit and not gasoline.

Speaking with Autocar, Bentley CEO Durheimer said: “We will be first to use a 12-cylinder gasoline engine in a luxury SUV. I like this idea; it makes clear whose car is the boss.”

It won’t just be any 12-cylinder engine, either. Bentley is likely to be using a new-generation W-12 currently in development.

Additionally, the new SUV should also spawn Bentley’s first diesel model, picking up a new V-12 TDI engine that’s also reportedly in development.

What’s not clear is whether Bentley will offer an ‘entry-level’ V-8 option like it plans to do with the Continental GT early next year.

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