The President and C.E.O. of Bentley Americas on the New Torcal EV
Despite the challenging headwinds that the automotive industry is currently facing, this year has certainly been a banner one for Bentley—at least in terms of identity.
The biggest milestone for the British marque was the September unveiling of the first all-electric vehicle in its 107-year history. Sure, Bentley is far from the first to introduce a luxury, high-performance EV, but what’s noteworthy is how the Flying B brand is positioning its zero-emissions Torcal S.U.V. in the portfolio, and how that reflects the further fine-tuning of its original Beyond 100 plan introduced in 2020 and revised four years later.
Michael Rocco, president and C.E.O. of Bentley Americas.
At Robb Report’s inaugural Best of the Best event, which recently took place in Jackson Hole, Wyo., Michael Rocco, president and C.E.O. of Bentley Americas, was on hand to discuss how the new Torcal fits in with the automaker’s legacy, how it foreshadows what comes next, and the role Bentley will continue to play in the market.
“What Torcal represents for us is the future design language of Bentley,” says Rocco. “Back in 2019, we showed the EXP 100 GT, which is a very futuristic car. It was 18 feet long. Last year, on the concept lawn at Monterey, we had the EXP 15, which is really more of the future design language of where Bentley is going, and that moved into the Torcal.”
The all-electric Bentley Torcal delivers nearly 876 hp.
Bentley Motors Limited
Rocco explains that the Torcal differs from Bentley’s first S.U.V., the Bentayga, in that it’s not as big and is intended more for city use. When it comes to Torcal’s pricing, Bentley took a different road than Ferrari did with its all-electric Luce. Rocco points out that the Torcal is “the least expensive vehicle in the lineup.”
As for early response to the model, Rocco stated at the time of our conversation that “75 percent of the global production is already sold out, and we just launched the car, you know, a little over a week ago.”
Yet unlike its rival Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Bentley has also embraced hybridization. “If you look at what we offer today, we call it luxury of choices,” notes Rocco. “So, if you want a gas engine, we have that. If you want hybrid, we have that. And if you want electric, we have that.”
The 657 hp Bentley Supersports at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Northern California.
Bentley Motors Limited
Examples of that diversity include the hybrid 2027 Flying Spur and the solely V-8-powered Bentley Supersports. The latter is the fourth iteration of a nameplate originating in 1925 and given to Bentley’s first model to top 100 mph. The only street-legal, rear-wheel-drive Continental, the 657 hp Supersports is also the lightest Bentley since 1940.
“From 1924 to 1930, we won Le Mans five times,” Rocco reminds us. “In 1927, we drove the car into the Savoy Hotel in London and partied all night long, so we were known as the ‘Bentley Boys and Girls.’ We were disruptive. We were rebellious.” In Rocco’s opinion, Bentley has maintained that maverick nature. “We disrupted the market again in 2004 [with the Continental GT]. We did it again in 2016 [with the Bentayga] . . . and now we’re going to do it again with the Torcal.”
