The Fassina Group, official importer of Bentley cars for Italy since 2016, has opened a new sales and after-sales facility in Milan, in via Giovanni Battista Grassi 98, dedicated to the historic British brand, which joins the Padua dealerships. and Florence and to the two authorized workshops in Rome of Opera, just outside Milan.
The goal is to restore commercial momentum in our country to the brand which, after the excellent results obtained in the first half of the 2000s, when the 200 cars sold per year were touched, had lately fogged up a bit, even going so far as to register only 16 contracts in 2014 (source UNRAE).
Since then the situation has progressively improved and the current year could close with about sixty registrations thanks also to the arrival of new versions with plug-in hybrid engines: the Bentayga SUV already on the list and the Flying Spur sedan, whose arrival is imminent.
Both models are equipped with 3-liter twin-turbo V6 engines combined with electric motors powered by rechargeable batteries that allow for a “zero emission” range of around forty km.
The Bentayga Hybrid plug-in has a total of 449 HP and has a base price of 180 thousand euros, which, however, can rise dramatically with customizations. The Flying Spur Hybrid plug-in, which uses a more updated internal combustion engine, has a total power of 544 hp and prices should start at around 200,000 euros.
The market, in fact, could reward these two innovations: not only for their more “environmentally friendly” hybrid approach but also because, despite the exorbitant figures mentioned above, they are placed at the base of the respective ranges, since the alternatives with 8- and 12-cylinder thermal-only engines have much higher price lists and are even less reachable.
The two hybrids are part of the relaunch plan called “Beyond 100”, announced last year on the occasion of the celebrations for the brand’s centenary, in which Bentley has formalized a new approach to the world of ultra-luxury cars, which provides for greater thrust towards innovation and sustainability and even more attention to quality and performance, to not only represent a status but also offer a different driving experience.
After all, the relative “simplicity” of the design of fully electric cars, which is already causing a wave of proposals on the subject of supercars by newcomers, will probably also lead to greater crowding in the sector of extreme luxury and a historic brand in the future. as the Bentley will have to strive to maintain the image advantage built in over a century of life.
From this point of view, the manifesto of the British brand’s orientations is the EXP 100 GT concept of 2019, an electric coupe made of aluminum and carbon, with sumptuous but also decidedly hi-tech finishes, credited with 700 km of autonomy and 1,500 Nm of torque, but also a top speed of 300 km / h and a sprint from 0 to 100 km / h in 2.5 seconds.
The shorter-term objectives regarding greater eco-compatibility concern the complete electrification of the range in 2026 but, already a year earlier, the presentation of the first battery-only Bentley.
