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Inkas reveals armored Bentley Bentayga for risky VIPs

Inkas Armored Vehicle Manufacturing has unveiled what it is billing as the first commercially available armored Bentley Bentayga, a week after we saw the armored X5 Protection VR6 straight from BMW. It can be equipped with up to level B6 protection, so it can withstand shots from a 7.62 mm round fired from an assault rifle. The first example has already been purchased for approximately $500,000.  Inkas, which is based in Toronto, lists armoring services for a number of different vehicles including the Toyota Camry, Mercedes-Benz G-Class, or even Ford Transit vans. And now, it offers a service for Bentley's luxurious and performance-minded Bentayga SUV.  Inkas offers two routes for its customers. An interested consumer can bring a car in and have it outfitted exactly the way he or she wants. Or, the customer can tell Inkas what he or she is looking for, and Inkas will source and build the entire project, including finding the right vehicle. For the Bentayga, specifically, armor options start at $130,000, and fully sourced projects can range into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, as previously noted.  Standard armor for each project includes a safety shell for passengers, multi-layer bullet-resistant glass, battery and ECU protection, reinforced door hinges, a reinforced suspension, and run-flat tires. Inkas says the B6 level of armor is meant to stop armor piercing rounds, but it could also protect from grenade blasts.  Inkas also offers the options to equip the Bentayga with a lightweight armor package, a PA system, heavy duty brakes, emergency lights, a fire supression system, and heavy duty wheels. We imagine most orders tick all the boxes.  Take a look inside the world's first bulletproof Bentley Bentayga made by INKAS® Armored Vehicle Manufacturing #bulletproof #bentley #bentayga #wolrdfirst #inkas #armored pic.twitter.com/rmrsXK7Nyv — INKAS Vehicles (@inkasvehicles) August 28, 2019

Bentley's upcoming Bentayga crossover sheds more camo

Bentley keeps edging closer and closer to launching its first SUV in the upcoming new Bentayga, and this latest batch of spy shots give us our best glimpse at the forthcoming ultra-luxury crossover yet. Spied undergoing cold-weather testing in northern Sweden, this prototype is wearing less camouflage and more of what appears to be its production bodywork than ever before. Of course, some parts remain disguised, especially around the front fenders and tail lights, but if you've been wondering what the new high-rider from Crewe will look like, this ought to give you a pretty solid idea ahead of the final form that's anticipated to debut later this year. The Bentayga will be based on the same architecture that already underpins the new Audi Q7 and is set to form the basis of the next Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne. Only Bentley is expected to offer a wide array of powertrain options, including the company's existing V8 and W12 engines and a new hybrid setup.

Weekly Recap: Mercedes continues the pseudo-coupe craze with AMG-tuned CUV

But as BMW's X6 has demonstrated, sport sells in in the crossover segment, and Mercedes is giving the people what they want. BMW proved there is a market for crossover utility vehicles designed to look like coupes – as much as a vehicle with four doors and noticeable ground clearance can look like a coupe, anyway. Now comes the reply from Mercedes-Benz: the GLE Coupe. The rakish crossover is a harbinger of things to come from Mercedes, as it begins the company's transition to a new nomenclature and marks the debut of the AMG Sport line. It also continues the recent coupe craze. Designers from many automakers, like Nissan and Volkswagen, have increasingly turned to swoopy, dramatic styling to make utility vehicles and sedans seem more desirable. By revealing the GLE 450 AMG Sport model first, Mercedes is clearly hoping to cast the GLE Coupe as a sportier, lifestyle-oriented alternative in its lineup of beefy crossovers and SUVs. Mercedes used the word "sport," or a variation of it, 53 times in its press release, so uh yeah, it's sporty. It's not an empty promise: Benz means business with the AMG Sport line. This GLE Coupe gets a 3.0-liter biturbo V6 rated at 362 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque paired with Mercedes' new nine-speed automatic transmission, and it runs with 4Matic all-wheel drive. Specs on the other GLE Coupe models were not disclosed. But as BMW's X6 has demonstrated, sport sells in in the crossover segment, and Mercedes is giving the people what they want. After all, more than 260,000 people have bought X6s since 2008, and Mercedes wants a piece of that. From certain angles, the GLE Coupe even looks vaguely like an X6. "This is really a vehicle that is all about status," said Dave Sullivan, product analysis manager for research firm AutoPacific. "You can buy a SUV that doesn't have the inherent qualities of a SUV, such as cargo hauling. People will likely be drawn to the looks. Coupes are all the rage." BMW, however, isn't running from the fight, and the updated 2015 X6 is arriving in showrooms this month. It also added a smaller sibling, the X4, to its coupe-crossover stable in July. The GLE Coupe arrives next year, though Mercedes hasn't specified exactly when it will hit showrooms from the factory in Alabama, or specified details on the rest of the non-AMG Sport models. In 2008, it was surprising the X6 was a hit. In 2015, it will be even more surprising if the GLE Coupe isn't.