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Bentley Mulsanne Le Mans Limited Edition celebrates in patrician hues

Bentley has made good on its promise to show off its Mulsanne Le Mans Limited Edition here at Pebble Beach, and the good news is that the thing is a far less aggressively green than we'd been led to believe. In fact, the verdant Mulsanne looks downright proper when parked with Bentley historics as context.
The Limited Edition car is meant to celebrate both the 90th Anniversary of Le Mans itself, as well as ten years since Bentley took home the hardware with its Speed 8 racer. By "celebrate" we of course mean that this Mulsanne gets diamond quilted leather all over its lavish cabin, has sportier than normal steering and suspension tuning and is likely to offer a meaty exhaust growl via its "Quad Effect" tailpipe ends. A set of dark-finish wheels really pull the look together.
Of course, as we've brought you the details of the Mulsanne Le Mans Limited Edition already, you knew all of that. Relax your brain and just look at the pretty pictures above.

Here's the Bentley Bentayga actually going off-road

There might not be many opportunities to see a Bentley Bentayga getting dirty off-road, but Bentley is making sure its upcoming crossover can perform capably when off the beaten path. This video demonstrates the Bentayga's all-wheel drive system, and you can see the wheels braking when needed. While the SUV's exterior is covered in cladding, you get an idea of the vehicle's general shape. A small skid plate is also visible underneath. It is not set to go on sale until 2016, but the Bentayga has been spied testing all over the world. Bentley also already offered a good look at the interior. Most recently, the model showed up on the highways around Dubai, likely for hot-weather evaluation. Laps around the Nurburgring should also help keep the SUV relatively light on its feet. With 4,000 interested customers lined up as of earlier this year, the Bentayga should be a success for Bentley. After launch, a diesel V8 version and a plug-in hybrid are reportedly on the way in 2017. Later, a smaller crossover might be in the cards, too. Related Video:

VW Group plan puts Porsche in charge of a 'super-premium' division

An Automobile report looks into what's happening on the organizational and technical sides of the Volkswagen Group, and what those changes could mean for the premium brands. The wide-angle view is that Porsche appears to have been anointed to "coordinate the future activities" at Audi, Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini. Audi would cede Lamborghini guardianship to Stuttgart, and Ducati — via a new concern called Ducati Enterprises — would become the shepherd for VW's other Italian investments. Executives target Jan. 1, 2019, to complete the reshuffle. VW wants to save a boodle by tying up four of its five top-tier brands, and putting the one with the highest ROI in charge. Porsche, within its own house, wants to reduce expenditures by $2.3 billion per year over for four years, the savings already earmarked for improving internal processes like R&D and production. Having Porsche share those gains as well as lead development of platforms, components and future-tech strategies for the sister sports car brands could benefit everyone. In the near-term, the brands have their own plans: Bugatti CEO Stephan Winkelmann is said to want a Chiron Superleggera, a roofless and "completely reskinned" Chiron Aperta, and a track-only Chiron SS. The Superleggera could take the Chiron Sport's and Divo's Jenny Craig routines even further. The Aperta seems a natural successor to the Veyron Grand Sport, a natural evolution of the recently introduced Sky View roof, and a reskin might include numerous Divo cues. It's also said Bugatti's considering "an all-electric high-end model" in conjunction with Porsche, Rimac, and Dallara, but name one supercar or hypercar manufacturer that isn't considering a lightning-fast EV. Lamborghini, deep into work on follow-ups for the Huracan and Aventador, might get a bit of a bump with the new plan. The carbon "monofuselage" for the next V12 flagship is said to be too far developed and too complex to scrap. It puts two electric motors on the front axle, batteries in the middle, and a naturally aspirated V12 with around 770 horsepower plus another e-motor with 402 horsepower in back. The Huracan is said to get a version of the same carbon architecture at the moment, but the corporate reorganization might press pause on it. Automobile says options include continuing the Huracan/ Audi R8 twinning, but that depends on Audi saying "Ja" to a third-gen R8 with Lamborghini bones.