Inside Line has confirmed with Bentley that its biofuel "Extreme Bentley," which makes its debut on March 3 at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show is bound for production later this year and will be priced higher than the 602-horsepower Bentley Continental GT Speed.
"Last year (at the 2008 Geneva Auto Show) we laid out our strategy for biofuel cars by 2012," said David Reuter, Bentley's U.S. spokesman on Wednesday. "We said our first biofuel car will be on the road by 2009. This is that product."
While unable to give exact pricing or the name of the vehicle at this point, Reuter said the biofuel Bentley will be more expensive than the Bentley Continental GT Speed. "If you look at the Continental GT Speed, it is priced around $203,000," he said. "This (biofuel) car will be more powerful and have a premium price over the GT Speed."
Bentley in a statement on Tuesday said its first biofuel offering will be its "fastest, most powerful production car ever." It said the vehicle is "delivering stage one of Bentley's environmental commitment and pioneering the use of this fuel in the luxury sector."
Reuter would not disclose global volume targets for the biofuel Bentley. But he hastened to add that this is not merely a demonstration vehicle. "This is a production model that will be available in worldwide distribution," he said.
The "Extreme Bentley" makes good on what Bentley has been promising for months. Earlier this month, at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, Bentley issued a report called "Bentley and Biofuels" that said it intends to offer "a full range of bioethanol compatible vehicles before 2012." It said it is making "a significant investment to enable our entire fleet to operate on biofuel" and to be equipped with flexfuel powertrains.
Inside Line says: The Extreme Bentley promises to be one of the showstoppers in Geneva, as the luxury brand takes a big risk in rolling out an expensive green vehicle in the middle of a global economic crisis. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
