British luxury carmaker Bentley Motors has unveiled its first fully electric vehicle, the Torcal, as it tests demand for EVs among wealthy buyers and steps up competition with rivals including Ferrari.
The Torcal is Bentley’s first fully electric car in the company’s 107-year history and becomes the brand’s fourth model alongside the Continental GT, Flying Spur and Bentayga. The vehicle was designed and engineered at Bentley’s manufacturing site in Crewe, in northwest England.
The model made its debut at an event in London on Wednesday evening. Bentley said the Torcal offers a range of up to 600 kilometers and can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under three seconds. Its starting price is £173,000, or about $229,000.
The launch comes just three months after Ferrari introduced its own first fully electric car, the Luce, in a rollout that drew mixed reactions. Ferrari’s first-ever five-seater, priced at 550,000 euros, or roughly $626,000, marked a sharp design departure from the Italian brand’s traditional sports cars.
Frank-Steffen Walliser, chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors, told CNBC’s Squawk Box Europe that the Torcal sits at the entry level of Bentley’s price band and that the company has already received very positive reactions from all markets.
Walliser said Bentley had not drawn specific lessons from the Luce launch, noting that car development cycles are long and that engineering work takes years. He added that acceptance of electric cars is continuing and that customers are increasingly aware of what the technology can deliver.
While Porsche and Lamborghini have scaled back their EV plans because of weak demand, Bentley says acceptance among affluent buyers is growing. According to Walliser, the company focused on design, driving behavior and soundscape in order to make what he described as a “true Bentley.”
