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Bentley officially chooses Bentayga name for new SUV

The Bentayga is here and the Bentayga cometh. The former is the Roque Bentayga, a rock formation on the island of Gran Canaria, the second is the arriving Bentley crossover, whose name is inspired by that formation. Yet that's only part of the tale: Bentley says that the taiga, a massive zone of sub-arctic forests that forms a ring around the upper latitudes of the northern hemisphere, played a part in the Betayga's name, too. Oh, and the company's founder – he's got a hand in as well. Company CEO Wolfgang Durheimer says Bentley has taken 4,000 deposits already, and some Bentayga trims will cost more than the Bentley Mulsanne. We do think it right and proper that the Bentley crossover will break the seal on super-luxe SUVs, since it was the Bentley Continental GT – 12 years ago, remember – broke open the market for super-luxe GTs. Still, everything that's gone into the Bentayga name is a lot of responsibility for crossover. We'll find out if its elevated haunches can support the load later this year, when it's revealed in advance of going on sale in 2016. For now, there's video above of it testing in the dunes of the Middle East. The press release below can tell you a bit more. BENTLEY BENTAYGA: THE NEW PINNACLE SUV - Taking luxury to new places, Bentayga is inspired by the natural world - The Bentley Bentayga combines pinnacle luxury and performance (Crewe/Detroit, 12th January 2015) Bentley's all-new and ground-breaking luxury SUV is set to be revealed to the world later this year and a name has been chosen: Bentley Bentayga. This sector-defining SUV will be able to introduce Bentley's renowned modern British luxury to limitless destinations with an impressive combination of on and off road performance. The natural world, along with the company's founder, inspired its name. Crowning the Northern Hemisphere, to the north of Bentley's birthplace in England, is the dramatic beauty of the Taiga, the world's largest transcontinental snowforest. To the south, the rugged peak of the Roque Bentayga in the subtropical Canary Islands draws attention from all directions and a challenging climb rewards with spectacular panoramic views of a rich and diverse landscape.

2014 Bentley Flying Spur makes its Swiss debut

Ever since the two-door Bentley Continental GT debuted in 2010, we've wondered how the coupe's new design and technology would carry over to the four-door Flying Spur model. We received official details and images a couple of weeks ago, but we've now had the chance to see the Spur in person here on the eve of the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.
It's a handsome sedan, this 2014 Flying Spur (which has officially ditched the Continental nomenclature, for what it's worth). And even more handsome in the metal. The stock photos don't do this big beast justice - especially in the rear three-quarter and profile views, where aspects of the car (namely its newly horizontal-shaped taillamps) can look a bit awkward.
More impressively, Bentley says that the new Flying Spur will be the "fastest, most powerful four-door" it has ever produced. Makes sense to us, especially considering the fact that the sedan borrows its twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W12 powertrain from the Continental GT Speed coupe. This twelve-pot mill is good for 616 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, able to propel the 5,451-pound, all-wheel-drive sedan to 60 miles per hour in 4.3 seconds. That's quick.

Bentley putting Mulsanne-based Azure, Brooklands back on the table [w/poll]

Big plans are afoot at Bentley. The quintessentially British automaker has just about signed off on the final version of its new SUV, and will surely roll out more versions of the Continental in the coming years, but that's not all. It's said to be considering a new sports coupe smaller than the Continental GT, but the latest reports coming in from the UK suggest that it also has plans for the Mulsanne's platform.
Currently, the Mulsanne is only available in one configuration, but Bentley is widely expected to be bringing a new, more powerful Mulsanne Speed to the Paris Motor Show this fall with around 550 horsepower. That's not all, however, as word comes in that the Flying B marque is planning to re-introduce both the Azure and the Brooklands as competitors to the Rolls-Royce Phantom DHC and Phantom Coupe, respectively.
For those who don't remember, the Azure and Brooklands were a pair of two-doors based on the Arnage that preceded the Mulsanne at the top of Bentley's range. The Azure was a convertible and the Brooklands a fixed-roof coupe, both of them larger than the Continental GT and powered by the company's evergreen (yet decidedly un-green) 6.75-liter V8.