2004 Bentley Continental Gt Coupe 2-door 6.0l on 2040-cars

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Bentley bringing two-seat sports car to Geneva?

Long subsided on the Continental and Mulsanne model lines, Bentley is on a mission to expand its production portfolio. And the latest reports from Great Britain suggest that it'll present a proposal for expanding it further next month with a conceptual two-seat sports car. The idea has been rumored for several months now, but Autocar claims that Bentley will showcase the two-seat GT at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. The new model is tipped to be positioned alongside (instead of substantially above or below) the existing Continental GT – much like Ferrari offers the California and 458 Italia (or new 488 GTB) at roughly the same price point – but will likely pack the British automaker's now-familiar, Audi-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. Its presentation at the Swiss expo will give Crewe the chance to gauge public opinion before deciding whether to proceed with production plans. It wouldn't be the first time that Bentley had toyed with the idea of a more compact GT. It revealed the Java concept way back in 1994 that never, strictly speaking, made production, but could be said to have paved the way for the current Continental range, and showcased the Hunaudieres mid-engined supercar prototype in 1999 that presaged its winning entry into Le Mans. The as-yet unnamed two-seat GT would be just one of several new models being touted for the British automaker. It is set to launch the new Bentayga crossover in the near future, potentially to be followed by a slant-back crossover coupe variant, a smaller crossover is also said to be under consideration, and it is also rumored to be weighing a four-door coupe to slot in between the Flying Spur and Mulsanne, the latter of which has also been showcased as a two-door convertible version as well.

NHTSA, IIHS, and 20 automakers to make auto braking standard by 2022

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and virtually every automaker in the US domestic market have announced a pact to make automatic emergency braking standard by 2022. Here's the full rundown of companies involved: BMW, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo (not to mention the brands that fall under each automaker's respective umbrella). Like we reported yesterday, AEB will be as ubiquitous in the future as traction and stability control are today. But the thing to note here is that this is not a governmental mandate. It's truly an agreement between automakers and the government, a fact that NHTSA claims will lead to widespread adoption three years sooner than a formal rule. That fact in itself should prevent up to 28,000 crashes and 12,000 injuries. The agreement will come into effect in two waves. For the majority of vehicles on the road – those with gross vehicle weights below 8,500 pounds – AEB will need to be standard equipment by September 1, 2022. Vehicles between 8,501 and 10,000 pounds will have an extra three years to offer AEB. "It's an exciting time for vehicle safety. By proactively making emergency braking systems standard equipment on their vehicles, these 20 automakers will help prevent thousands of crashes and save lives," said Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx said in an official statement. "It's a win for safety and a win for consumers." Read on for the official press release from NHTSA. Related Video: U.S. DOT and IIHS announce historic commitment of 20 automakers to make automatic emergency braking standard on new vehicles McLEAN, Va. – The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced today a historic commitment by 20 automakers representing more than 99 percent of the U.S. auto market to make automatic emergency braking a standard feature on virtually all new cars no later than NHTSA's 2022 reporting year, which begins Sept 1, 2022. Automakers making the commitment are Audi, BMW, FCA US LLC, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Tesla Motors Inc., Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo Car USA.

Bentley teases new Flying Spur before Geneva debut

Last time we saw the 2014 Bentley Continental Flying Spur out testing, our only questions about the new car regarded its rear-end styling, and when the car would debut. Well now we know for certain that the car will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, and we're also getting a better idea of what the car will look like thanks to Bentley releasing a brief teaser video.
The easiest-to-spot detail that we see in this Flying Spur video is the car's horizontal taillights - the first such on a Bentley since the 1990s. We can also see that this hyper-luxury sedan will get a more squared-off front end than its Continental GT counterpart. But, from what we can tell, it will receive a similarly laid out interior, including the three-spoke steering wheel.
Scroll down to watch the video, and we've also attached the single-sentence press release in which Bentley promises to reveal more details about the car on February 20.