British luxury car maker Bentley Motors is testing wealthy buyers’ appetite for the transition by launching its first fully electric car to take on Italian carmakers and others. ferrari.
The new Torcal is the first fully electric car in Bentley’s 107-year history and the brand’s fourth model, alongside the Continental GT, Flying Spur and Bentayga.
The car was designed and engineered at the company’s manufacturing site in Crewe, North West England.
The announcement comes just three months after Ferrari’s controversial launch of its first fully electric car, with analysts blaming some of the negative reaction on “design haters.” Ferrari’s first five-seater car, the Luce model was a major visual change from the brand’s iconic traditional sports cars.
An image of the handout for the Bentley Tocal, which made its world debut.
bentley motors
Frank Steffen Walliser, chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Thursday that Tocal is “at an entry-level price point for Bentley and we’ve already had a very positive response from all markets.”
Torcal was announced Wednesday night at an event in London. This model has a range of up to 600 kilometers and can reach 60 miles per hour in just under three seconds.
Its starting price is 173,000 pounds (about $229,000), significantly cheaper than Ferrari’s Luce, which sold for 550,000 euros (about $626,000).
British luxury carmaker Bentley’s first fully electric model, Torcal, is on display during a launch event in London, UK, September 23, 2026.
Corey Rudy | Reuters
When asked if Bentley had learned any lessons from the Luce launch, Walliser said: “No, not really. You know the auto industry is very long-term. It takes years to develop and engineer a car. It’s a four-year cycle, so you can’t just react to what your competitors do.”
He added: “I would say there is continued acceptance of electric vehicles, and we are also increasing our knowledge of our customers and our clients, and they are very aware of what can be done with this technology.”
Other sports car manufacturers, particularly Porsche and Lamborghini, have scaled back their EV launch plans due to weak demand.
Bentley’s Mr Walliser said acceptance of electric cars among the wealthy was “growing” and the company was aiming to become what he called a “true Bentley”, focusing on issues such as design, driving behavior and soundscape.
