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2019 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid arrives at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show

It's been more than three years since the Bentley Bentayga Hybrid was announced. The British automaker's ultra-lux SUV was released with a 600 horsepower W12, though a diesel variant is available in Europe and a gasoline V8-powered model will soon go on sale. At the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, Bentley finally unveiled the new Bentayga plug-in hybrid with 31 miles of range and a full charge in just 2.5 hours. The Bentayga Hybrid uses a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 paired with an electric motor. Details on the battery capacity, power output and fuel economy haven't been announced, but expect huge improvements over the current model's abysmal 12 mpg city and 19 mpg highway EPA rating. Like other hybrids, the Bentayga's E Motor acts as both an electric motor and a generator. Bentley says the hybrid will get 50 kilometers or about 31 miles of range on the European cycle. View 12 Photos Power is still sent to all four wheels. Four on-road driving modes — Sport, Bentley, Comfort and Custom — will be joined by three new modes. Using what used to be the start/stop switch, drivers can change between EV Drive, Hybrid and Hold modes, the latter holding battery power for later use. The instrument cluster and infotainment screens have been revised, with an EV Drive meter joining the traditional tachometer. A battery charge meter replaces the coolant temperature gauge. In order to maximize fuel economy and electric range, Bentley uses the satellite navigation to calculate the best use of the powertrain. When a destination is set, the nav system will talk to the computer to determine the best times to use the electric motor, holding the battery's charge until it's most efficient. Ideally, Bentley says the system will deplete the battery's charge completely just as you arrive at your destination. A smartphone app allows owners to remotely check the charge status or search for charging stations along a route or in an area. Other features include remote heating and cooling that will have the car at a set temperature when you're ready to go. A full charge should take 7.5 hours on a standard outlet or 2.5 with a in-home charger. Bentley has you covered here and has partnered with designer Philippe Starck on a custom charger. While it doesn't charge any faster than other chargers, it is quite a stylish piece of equipment. Visually, the Bentayga Hybrid doesn't differ much from the standard gasoline model. The charging port mirrors the fuel filler door on the opposite side of the car.

2017 Bentley Mulsanne Speed is more ostentatious than ever

As it was, the Bentley Mulsanne was a pretty bold and ostentatious (and totally awesome) show of luxury. It was big and brutal in a classically British way, but it was also outperformed and out-teched by more modern (and cheaper) luxury sedans from Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and even Audi. Buying one was a classic case study in vehicular statement-making, a vote for old-school refinement instead of modern gee-whizzery. Bentley clearly recognized that fact, because it's doubled-down on the big Mulsanne's aristocratic, give-no-craps demeanor as part of its latest aesthetic update. We love it. For one, the car on display in Geneva is painted is painted in an eye-catching (and questionable) metallic yellow-green. It is not subtle, but weirdly, it kind of works. The new, even more imposing grille is similarly blunt. It's been stretched three inches and is now home to polished stainless steel vanes. As we explained in our original post on the Mulsanne, the new headlight arrangement seeks to eliminate the "droopiness" of the current car. The LED units largely succeed, while somehow giving the front end an even snootier look. Styling changes elsewhere are subtler, which is to say there's still no mistaking the Mulsanne for anything else. The tail gets tasteful new LED lights, while changes along the long, smooth profile look to be nonexistent. It's a similar story in the cabin, which is a place filled with leather, chrome, and wood. It's proper and restrained, in contrast to the look-at-me face. But don't let the handsome and clean interior fool you – the only thing less subtle than the Mulsanne's new front fascia is the performance of this Speed variant. The 6.75-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 continues to reside under hood, turning out 530 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque. That's good for a 4.8-second 0-60 time and a 190-mile-per-hour top speed. Those are impressive figures for a genuine sports car, but they're just hilarious in a vehicle the size of a New York City apartment and the weight of a piece of construction equipment. The Mulsanne is an unnecessary, silly vehicle – a Mercedes-AMG S65 is a much better value. But simply put, few cars make such a bold statement about your wealth and power.

Bentley Bentayga may spawn sportier fastback version

In the past few years, Bentley has shown us two different conceptions about what its future might look like in: the SUV that started life as the EXP 9 F concept and has now entered production as the Bentayga, and the EXP 10 Speed 6 concept that previews a future sports coupe from the stoic British marque. The next step is an SUV that combines a little of each of them. According to Automotive News, engineers and designers in Crewe are currently laying the groundwork for a crossover that would blend the tall form of the Bentayga with the roofline of the Speed 6. The result would be similar in form, we'd imagine, to the likes of the BMW X6 and Mercedes GLE Coupe, only even further upscale. We wouldn't be surprised to see more changes than the roofline and tail section, either, with a sportier front end and more avant-garde headlights (like those we saw on the Speed 6 concept) giving it a sportier, less stodgy appearance all around – and maybe, just maybe, a different nameplate. CEO Wolfgang Durheimer wants to get the fastbacked Bentayga variant ready by 2018 or 2019 – right around the time that Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Maserati, and Lamborghini will be rolling out their debut crossovers. By that time, Bentley will have already have had the Bentayga on the market for two or three years, and wants to be ready to fight off the onslaught with something fresh. "Imagine the EXP 10 as an SUV. It doesn't look 'old Bentley, Durheimer told AN. "The Bentayga doesn't stop us from dreaming and looking down the road. The more success we have with it, the more we can take the best of it and run with it." Proceeding with the project will require Durheimer to get approval from the Volkswagen Group head office in Wolfsburg, but the business case seems like a slam dunk. The model would help Bentley (and VW) further capitalize on the $1 billion it already spent developing the Bentayga, following a successful business model laid out by rival BMW and which Germany's other automakers are quickly learning to emulate. This wouldn't be the first time he'd be seeking approval from Matthias Muller on such a project, either. Durheimer successfully ushered the Cayenne into production when he was head of R&D at Porsche and Muller was the brand's CEO.