British luxury automaker Bentley Motors has unveiled its first fully electric vehicle, putting affluent consumers’ appetite for EVs to the test as the company moves to challenge rivals such as Italy’s Ferrari.
Called the Torcal, the model is Bentley’s first all-electric car in its 107-year history. It also expands the lineup to four vehicles, joining the Continental GT, Flying Spur and Bentayga.
The new vehicle was designed and developed at Bentley’s factory in Crewe, northwest England.
Bentley’s debut arrives only three months after Ferrari introduced its own first fully electric model, a launch that drew a mixed response. Analysts partly blamed the backlash on what they described as “design hate,” with the Luce’s styling representing a significant departure from Ferrari’s familiar sports-car aesthetic. The vehicle is also the marque’s first five-seater.
A handout image shows the Bentley Torcal during its global debut.
Bentley Motors
Frank-Steffen Walliser, Bentley Motors’ chairman and CEO, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Thursday that the Torcal occupies the brand’s entry-level price range and has already generated “very positive reactions from all markets.”
Bentley presented the Torcal at a London event on Wednesday evening. The electric vehicle offers a range of up to 600 kilometers and can accelerate to 60 miles per hour in just under three seconds.
Pricing starts at £173,000, or about $229,000. That makes it considerably cheaper than Ferrari’s Luce, which carries a price of 550,000 euros, equivalent to roughly $626,000.
The Torcal, Bentley’s first fully electric model, is displayed at its launch event in London, Britain, on Sept. 23, 2026.
Corey Rudy | Reuters
Asked if Bentley had taken lessons from Ferrari’s Luce launch, Walliser said the company had not. The auto industry, he explained, operates on long timelines, with vehicle engineering and development taking years. “This is a four-year cycle, so you cannot just react on anything a competitor is doing,” he said.
Walliser said customer acceptance of electric vehicles continues to build. Buyers, he added, now have a better understanding of the technology and are increasingly aware of what electric cars can deliver.
Several performance-car manufacturers, including Porsche and Lamborghini, have reduced or delayed plans for new EVs amid softer-than-expected demand.
Walliser nevertheless said acceptance of electric vehicles among wealthy buyers is “growing.” Bentley’s goal, he said, was to create a “true Bentley” by prioritizing the vehicle’s design, driving dynamics and soundscape.
