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Lamborghini and Bentley may hold off on SUVs so VW can conserve cash

After surveying the European economic scene, Volkswagen may have decided now is not the time to launch utility vehicles with Bentley and Lamborghini badges. Bentley officials say they will continue to push for support for the EXP 9 F and Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelman has said planning for the Urus will continue until VW tells it to stop.
That decision could come on November 23, when VW's board will vote on the company's budget for equipment, factories and vehicles. With VW's sales slowing and the Euro economy slumping further, some industry watchers say the company is more likely to build its cash reserves than to introduce super-expensive luxury SUVs or crossovers.
"Such vehicles are anything but obligatory during a crisis," says Frankfurt-based Equinet AG analyst Tim Schuldt in a new Automotive News Europe story. "Delaying their launch would be no drama but help save costs."

Bentley's next model gets Airline Seat Specification option

Bentley is preparing to add a fifth model to its line-up. The company isn't ready to reveal the car's identity — though we think we know what we're looking at — but it announced that the mysterious vehicle will be available with an option called Airline Seat Specification. If you travel in economy class, there is absolutely nothing glamorous about an airline seat: it's often thinly-padded, cramped, and not nearly as clean as we like to imagine. Bentley's new option takes inspiration from the front of the plane, however, where business class and first-class passengers fly. Buyers who order the Airline Seat Specification option will get a car whose individual rear seats are 22-way power-adjustable, feature what the firm calls an "auto climate sensing system," and benefit from an advanced postural adjustment technology that offers 177 individual pressure changes possible across six zones. Bentley proudly calls this the most advanced seat ever fitted to a car. The company is also embedding lighting elements into the door panels. Called Bentley Diamond Illumination, this system consists of 12 LEDs integrated into the front door panels and 22 LEDs integrated into the rear door panels. They're configured to shine through small holes in the upholstery. The result is shown in the image above, though other designs may be possible. Bentley pointed out that the model it's preparing to unveil will offer no less than 24 billion (yes, billion!) unique possible configurations of trim specification alone. As for the rest of the car, nothing is official yet but we're fairly sure that we're looking at a long-wheelbase version of the Bentayga. We'll have a better idea of what Bentley has in the pipeline when the model makes its debut online on May 10, 2022, at 12:30 p.m British time. Related video:

Bentley Continental GT Convertible is here, and it's a stunner

Bentley gave us a completely revamped Continental GT a short time ago, and now we get its airy twin, the Continental GT Convertible. Making its debut right before the L.A. Auto Show begins, the topless Bentley incorporates everything new and good about the redesigned Conti. It'll come with the 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 engine making 626 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque, just like the coupe. Acceleration to 60 occurs in a luxuriously quick 3.7 seconds before topping out at 207 mph. It's a convertible, but it sure won't be slowing you down any because of it. Styling for the drop top is elegant but doesn't distance itself much from the coupe beyond the obvious lack of a roof. That's totally fine, because the new Continental GT is stunning either way. Bentley has an option for old-school tweed lovers out there too: a roof made of the stuff. Details on how such a roof is possible haven't yet been spelled out, but we're guessing it isn't made of your traditional (not waterproof) tweed. Whether you choose tweed or some other more normal material for your roof, Bentley says it has better sound proofing to offer a three-decibel reduction of noise compared to its predecessor. It'll open in 19 seconds at speeds up to 30 mph. Like the coupe, the convertible drops a bunch of weight — it's now 20-percent lighter than before and 5-percent stiffer. Technology within the Convertible has advanced a few steps compared to the previous generation. The Convertible offers a rotating display in the center stack, so a driver can choose whether they'd like to see the 12.3-inch touchscreen or uninterrupted wood paneling. Bentley spared no expense on the real wood paneling either. Each car uses over 107 square-feet of the nicest lumber Bentley can get its hands on. A new neckwarmer is apparently warmer and quieter than before, and now it also has heated armrests. A couple different technology packages will be offered at launch. One is called "City," and adds hands-free trunk operation, traffic-sign recognition, city braking systems and a top-view camera. The other is called "Touring" and it tacks on adaptive cruise control, active lane assist, a head-up display, infrared night vision camera and pre-sense braking. Frankly, it feels like many of these options should be standard like they are on a $30,000 Honda Accord. All the other pertinent equipment is virtually identical with the 2019 Continental GT we already drove.