Bentley Launches Its Very First — No, Second — No, Third — Electric Car

Bentley will unveil its Torcal SUV on September 23, calling it the automaker's first fully electric car built entirely in-house. That's a bit of a stretch, since Bentley has sold plug-in hybrids since 2018 and backed a small electric replica car called the Blower Jnr in 2023. But the Torcal is different: it uses an electric platform shared with sister brand Porsche's Cayenne, with styling touches from Audi, and it's built without an outside partner.

The Torcal is pitched as a smaller, city-friendly SUV that sits below Bentley's gas-and-hybrid Bentayga. Reviewers who rode in a prototype noted a piped-in engine sound recorded from live musicians rather than an actual V-8, along with new materials including a Merino wool fabric made with a British cloth maker and a walnut veneer built from recycled wood layers. U.S. pricing starts at $230,150, with 2028 models expected to reach buyers early next year. A waitlist is open now.

None of this has much to do with affordable home or transportation upgrades — this is a six-figure luxury vehicle aimed at a narrow slice of buyers. The broader signal is that even ultra-luxury automakers now see a future in electric vehicles, even as some U.S. automakers pull back. If you're watching the EV market for signs of where affordable options are headed, this isn't it; cheaper electric trucks and cars, like Ford's upcoming Fathom pickup, remain the ones more likely to matter for a typical household's driveway.