We still don't know what the German group's plans are for Lamborghini, but Bentley boss Wolfgang Schreiber told Autonews Europe that the company is "close to a decision to build" the EXP 9 F, with an expected introduction date in 2016.
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Inside sources told Autonews and Reuters that VW officials might delay the introductions of two new SUVs from Bentley and Lamborghini, among other vehicles.
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There is no official information out on the concept yet, but the photos reveal a race-prepped model sporting a beefed up body kit with massive front and rear spoilers, a huge rear wing and additional air vents positioned throughout the body.
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The reason why Bentley is holding back remains a mystery but it may have something to do with all the negative press it received with the EXP 9 F SUV Concept.
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No other details were released about the study, though the magazine points out that it is designed to "underscore the brand’s sporting aspirations," adding that it will likely be the sportiest model to wear the British company's badge since the 1999 Bentley Hunaudières concept.
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While Bentley showed the Mulsanne Convertible Concept to a select number of people at this past weekend's Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the company did not allow any pictures to be shot of the car.
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Last weekend, the thinly disguised concept made its maiden appearance on UK soil at the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed as part of what the company's calls "a systematic and comprehensive process of gauging customer and public reaction to the idea of a Bentley SUV".
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For those that do not want to wait for the production Bentley EXP 9 F SUV, German design studio Atelier Valdeig has collaborated with Armortech Motors to create a coachbuilt version of the current generation Audi Q7 offering buyers a choice of Bentley-inspired fascias and rear end styling.
The SUV is called the Tresor, which the company says is French for "treasure" and German for "safe" or "strong room".
While neither partner makes word of Bentley for obvious reasons, they do point out that the Tresor's exterior "marries traditional British design cues and sportiness" and that "the seats and the dashboard come from a noted English luxury car maker" – no prizes for guessing the brand…
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The first one is the world premiere of the new Continental GTC with the 6.0-liter W12 engine as up until now, the updated model was available only with the new 4.0-liter turbocharged V8.
While 500HP, 660Nm (487 lb-ft) of torque, a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprint of just 5.0 seconds and a top speed of 301 km/h (187 mph) for the V8 model may sound quite adequate to most, the range-topping W12 is slightly faster than its little brother.
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But did you know that the British premium brand explored numerous options for a new addition to its range before deciding on the SUV? Bentley’s CEO Wolfgang Duerheimer told Motor Trend magazine that his company’s designers had actually submitted three more projects.
Duerheimer admitted that one of them was a sports car smaller than the Continental GT, although he wouldn’t comment on what the other two models were.
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You see, the firm's first attempt at designing an SUV model was received with harsh criticism about its styling even before the general public had the chance to see the concept in real life.
In fact, the disapproval rate was so widespread that during the press days, an unnamed Bentley source told British publication "What Car" that Exp 9 F's styling is "a little heavy handed" and that "an alternative design is in progress".
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If you'd like to hear Bentley's designers explain themselves, you can do so by the following the break to watch the video.
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Though we doubt that Bentley's founder had an SUV in mind, the British luxury carmaker, which now belongs to the VW Group's empire, has revealed exactly that in the form of the EXP 9 F that made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show today.
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The full-size luxury SUV concept, which looks very close to production in these images, infuses Bentley's traditional styling cues such as the Mulsanne's bold fascia and the heavily arched rear fenders to a shape that closely resembles the Range Rover. Of course, this isn't something you'll hear from Bentley's design team.
"The EXP 9 F had to represent the absolute pinnacle of the sport utility sector, setting a new benchmark for this type of vehicle," says Dirk van Braeckel, Director of Design at Bentley. "The style had to reflect Bentley’s sporting character despite its radically different package and purpose together with sculptured, flowing surfaces in keeping with the Bentley tradition.”
As you would expect, the prototype's interior, which features a 4+1 seating layout with a rear armrest lifting to reveal a cooled compartment for champagne and glasses, is sumptuous, to say the least.
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We're talking, of course, about Bentley's upcoming SUV, which aspires to become the world's most luxurious and expensive crossover model.
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If you're a petrol head and live in or are considering a trip to England, you may want to make plans to visit Bentley's headquarters in Crewe and check out a new design exhibition called "An Unbroken Line", which offers a rare glimpse inside the company's usually secret studios. The exhibition follows the development of a Bentley from the first sketch right through to the final product, and includes drawings from the prototype phase of models such as the new Continental GT that are being shown to the public for the first time ever. Furthermore, the exhibition also captures key moments of the company’s lineage with signature characteristics that define a Bentley to this day such as the positioning of the headlights, the use of inverted needles on the dashboard and the pronounced ‘powerlines’ that sweep down the flanks of the car.
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Like so many concept cars, the Hunaudières never made it past being a one-off and Bentley consigned itself once more to making cars for wealthy Brits and Paris Hilton.
Now, two industrial design students from China's Tainjin Academy of Fine Arts, Shawn Wood and Guohua Cheng, have resurrected the Hunaudières in the form of a design study called the Bentley Silver [Filver in one pic, but we guess that was a mistake] Wings.
In this case a pair of Bugatti and Bentley superminis, both of which would, in theory, be based on the VW Group's Polo, Ibiza or Fabia hatchbacks. The two designs were created by Autoblog.nl reader Jasper van der Heiden. Check them out after the jump.
Of course, this immediately led to whisperings and theories of a possible Continental Shooting Brake like Carozzeria Touring Superleggera's Flying Star (see here) that was revealed at this year's edition of the Geneva Motor Show.